94gossipgirl25's GG Fanfiction

Epilogue

2008-05-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

EPILOGUE

Four years before the 2012 Debutante Ball, and four years from the Waldass engagement, Rebecca Kailey Summers went back to California to ruin the lives of other unsuspecting victims, where she belonged.
One year before the 2012 Debutante Ball, and one year before the Waldass engagement, Serena van der Woodsen and Daniel Humphrey got married. They bought an apartment on the Upper East Side, but they also opened an art gallery in Brooklyn. It now rivals the original Humphrey art gallery.
After high school graduation, everyone went to the college of their selection. B loved it at Yale; and they loved her right back. 2012 Yale Valedictorian? Miss Blair Waldorf, thank you very much.
And four months after the 2012 Debutante Ball, the Waldass wedding took place. Big and extravagant, it was the wedding of the millennium. And, by choice of the groom, all the flowers happened to be… why, hydrangeas, of course.
Nathaniel Archibald did not attend the wedding. Nathaniel Archibald did not graduate from Dartmouth. Nathaniel Archibald did not find love. Nathaniel Archibald failed at life. Yeah.

Oh, and eventually, Nate and Jenny both got hit by a bus at the same time. And died. Ugh, failures. =D

Chapter 59 -Fanfiction Finale

2008-05-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

--First of all, I'd just like to thank every person who has ever read one word of this, as your support means the world to me. And it's really sad for me to end this fanfiction, but it needs to be done. I've become so attached to it, but I know that it'll go down in history, especially in my own heart. Thanks so much, fans. I love you too much for words. =)
And keep looking for more of me; I promise you, this won't be the end. You guys make me want to continue writing, and I don't want to let you down. I love you all, as much as I love my fanfiction. Thanks for reading, and I can't wait for you to see more of my work. Enjoy life! And remember, Nathaniel Archibald failed at life. That's for you Natie-lovin' girlies. =D <3

xoxo, Vicky (94gossipgirl25) <3

Chapter 59

“No, no, not midnight blue, midnight indigo! What do I have to do go get some decent service?! Well, fine, I will take my business elsewhere!”
Click!
Blair Waldorf snapped her phone shut, raging with anger. She glared at Serena. “I promise you, I will never buy another Valentino ever again! Come on. We’re trying Versace.”
“B, don’t you think you’re being a little melodramatic?” Serena asked uncertainly.
“No! You don’t understand, Serena, darling! This charity event has got to be perfect! Do you know how many people are counting on me? It’s unbelievable that the board is letting me plan the 2012 Debutante Ball. It’s such an honour! And I cannot mess up! You hear me? If I do, I can never show my face in this city ever again!”
“Come on, Blair, calm down.” Serena rubbed Blair’s back, as she was very close to hyperventilating. Finally, Blair Waldorf’s time had come. Time to show the world what she’s got.
“I’m going to help you, okay? Everything’s going to be fine.” Serena’s soothing voice made Blair a little calmer.
Blair took a cleansing breath. “You’re right. It’s gonna be okay.” She let out another sigh of relief, and then flipped her phone open. Smiling hopefully, she turned to Serena. “Do you think the people at Valentino will forgive me?”

Chuck turned the hydrangea stem slowly with his fingers. Sighing, he placed it next to the little box on his coffee table.
Suddenly, Jenny Humphrey walked into his apartment.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Chuck asked harshly, grabbing the box and tossed it in the table drawer.
“Whoa, calm down,” Jenny said, laughing. “You’d think after four years you’d be less psychotic.”
“And you’d think after four years you’d be less mind-numbingly annoying,” Chuck snapped.
“Always a charmer, Bass,” Jenny said lightly, waltzing into the living room. “I just came here to pick up Blair’s guest list. She forgot it.”
“I think it’s in the study,” Chuck told her, getting up. Jenny followed him into another room, and quickly found the list on Blair’s desk.
“It’s so great she’s letting me be her assistant for the Debutante.”
“I know. I’m shocked she hasn’t ditched your obnoxious *** after all these years.”
“Shut up,” Jenny said, pushing him slightly. “You’re one to talk. I can’t believe she’s put up with you, either.”
“Well, I mean, come on. I am Chuck Bass. Like any girl can resist me.” Chuck raised an eyebrow at her.
“Really? Because I don’t find it as much of a challenge.”
“You’re just jealous because you can’t drink legally.”
Jenny scoffed. “You really need some new comebacks.”
“It’s easier when you’re not busy paying bills and tending to your insanely hot, and insanely insane girlfriend.”
Jenny looked at him, amused. “She’s getting on your nerves?”
Chuck sighed. “Just all this Debutante crap. I mean, we went through this once already, why do we have to do it again?”
Jenny laughed. “Because that’s what you get for falling in love with an Upper East Sider with big socialite dreams.”
“Yeah, I should have moved in with you, Jenny Brooklyn.”
J punched his arm. “I love how close we’ve become.”
“I don’t. Stupid Blair and her leech friends, never leaving, even after we graduate and they’re still stuck at Constance.”
“Yeah, not for much longer, though!” Jenny grinned.
“What schools are you applying for?” Chuck asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. Yale, Brown. Anything B and S recommend, really.”
Chuck scoffed. “Follower.”
J scoffed right back. “Man-wh0re.”
“Touché.” Jenny laughed and walked out of the study.
“Thanks, anyway. I should get going though; I was supposed to meet Blair and Serena at the Palace ten minutes ago.”
“You better leave then. You know how Blair gets.”
J smiled. “Yup. See ya.”
Chuck waved a little and slammed the front door. Sighing, he leaned against the door. It was horrible having annoying not-so-Little J following Blair and Chuck around all the time, but it was even worse now that she was actually hot.

“Pearls, or diamonds?”
Serena smiled as Blair frantically searched through her jewellery box. “Why do you even have to ask? It’s obvious what you’re going to wear.”
Serena pulled open B’s night stand drawer, removing a thin black box from inside. Blair whirled around to face her. When she saw the box, she let out a little sigh. Smiling, she sat down next to her best friend.
Taking the box, Blair opened it delicately. Inside was the diamond necklace, her seventeenth birthday gift. “I haven’t worn this in ages,” she said quietly.
“It’s for special occasions,” Serena said, smiling. Blair looked at her.
Helping Blair put it on, Serena grinned at her friend. “You look beautiful, hun.”
B gave a little sad smile as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. “Our teen-hood seemed like it was ages ago,” she said softly, “yet like it was just yesterday.”
Serena nodded wistfully. “I know what you mean.”

Walking into Victrola, Blair looked around. A warm feeling stirred up in her heart as she made her way over to the bar. Chuck turned around, and smiled.
“Hey,” he said, giving her a small kiss.
Blair grinned. “Not much has changed, has it?”
“Not since that night,” Chuck replied. Blair looked at him. She cocked her head slightly.
“I can’t believe you’re seriously going through with this.”
“All successful businessmen have to start somewhere. Not usually with strip clubs, but whatever floats your boat, right?”
Blair laughed. “Hey, weren’t you always the one correcting me? It’s a burlesque club. God, get it right.” B rolled her eyes.
Chuck laughed. “Yes. A burlesque club.” He pulled Blair closer to him by the waist and kissed her cheek. “Will you come to dinner with me tonight? I thought we could have a nice night out.”
“Does that include some very hot limo sex?” Blair asked huskily, hopping up onto his lap.
“If you want,” Chuck replied, kissing her softly.
“Oh, sure, then,” Blair whispered, laughing.
“I’ll meet you at the Palace at eight.” Chuck gave her one final kiss, and stood up. “I have a business meeting, but I’ll call you later.”
“Okay.” Blair watched him go, smiling. She remembered her diamond necklace, and vowed to wear it that night.

“Wow. You look… beautiful.”
B blushed as she stepped out of the limo. Chuck always made her feel wonderful. “As always, of course,” Chuck added, kissing her. Blair let out a little laugh.
“Come on,” she said, pulling him into the restaurant, “before they give our reservation away.”
As Chuck and Blair got seated, Chuck said suddenly, “I wonder if they made the storage closet any bigger.”
Blair looked up from her menu, laughing. “What?”
“This is that French place we went to that one night of our first official date. Don’t you remember?”
B smiled at him. “Of course I remember,” she said gently. “How could a girl forget?”
Chuck looked up at her, a mischievous smile on his lips. “Wanna go see if it’s any bigger?”
Blair leaned across the table, excited. “For real?” she whispered.
“Come on!” Chuck got up, grabbed her hand, and led her across the restaurant and down the little hallway. Opening the closet door carefully, he flicked on the light.
“Awe,” Blair said, disappointed. “It’s still the same size.”
“Yeah, but look.” Chuck pointed to the doorknob. “They put a lock in.”
Blair laughed. “Oh my god! It’s our lucky day!”
Chuck pulled her inside, and shut the door. Blair couldn’t stop laughing. “This is so provocative,” she said, as Chuck kissed her neck gently.
“I know,” he breathed, pulling her in close. Blair pushed him away slightly.
“You know, we’re not kids anymore,” she said, looking up at him. “We’re adults, so we should be responsible.”
“Hello?” Chuck pulled a condom out of his pocket and waved it in her face. Blair burst in laughter, not being able to contain herself.
“Come on,” Chuck whispered. “Just this once.” Blair smiled curtly at him.
“Put that away,” she said, her eyes darting to the condom, still in his hand.
“Oh-kay, but if this is your secret ploy to get me into fatherhood, you aren’t going to succeed.” Blair giggled.
“Just a few kisses,” she said finally. “For old times sake.”
“Works for me,” Chuck said, grabbing her waist and kissing her dramatically.

Feeling just a little tipsy after their date, Blair grinned and kissed Chuck before he got out of the limo to open her door for her. As usual, he didn’t complain.
Opening the door slowly, Chuck took her hand, and lifted her carefully out onto her feet. Which was when he dropped down on one knee.
“Blair Cornelia Waldorf,” Chuck said, gazing up at her, “You are the most stunningly beautiful girl I have ever met, and the only person I’ve ever loved. You mean the world to me, and you make me a person I can be proud of. I’ve never thought I could feel this way about anyone, but you’ve proved me wrong.” Chuck pulled a tiny velvet box out of his suit pocket. Blair’s lips were slightly parted in surprise.
“Blair, will you marry me?”
Chuck popped open the box, and inside was the most spectacular ring Blair had ever seen. A large diamond was set in the middle, and was surrounded by a circle of smaller diamonds. The band was pearly white gold. And offering the ring to her, was the man of her dreams.
“Yes,” Blair breathed, almost inaudibly. “Yes!”
She took the ring from its box, slid it onto her finger, and jumped into Chuck’s arms. “Yes!” Her eyes clouded with tears and she clung onto him. Smiling and gasping for air, B kissed Chuck.
It was a perfect, cloudless night in New York. Thousands of stars hung over their heads, creating the perfect movie moment. Blair’s heart pounded with excitement that she could barely contain. She grabbed Chuck’s monogrammed scarf and threw it around her neck, breathing in its familiar smell.
She pulled back slightly, just slightly enough to gaze into his eyes. And that was the moment when she knew; he was the one she’d loved all along.

One Last Spotted, for the fans: Darena, planning their perfect anniversary getaway. Awe. Too adorable. Jenny, finally embracing the Chuck Lover within her. About time, girl. And Chair, in the movie moment of the century. Audrey would be proud. So on behalf of the whole Upper East Side, I’d like to thank Blair Waldorf, Serena van der Woodsen, Dan Humphrey, Nate Archibald, Jenny Humphrey, and Chuck Bass, for making these past 8 years the best times of our lives. I certainly can’t thank you infamous 6 enough; after all your juicy rumors, and even juicier scandal, you’ve helped us all live the best teen years we could possibly live. I know I’ve certainly enjoyed the ride. Love ya all, b****es.
We’ve lived the childhoods, the scandalous high school lives, and the dream college journeys, but now it’s time to grow up and give you guys some space. You’ve earned it.
So thank you Chair, Darena, Blate, Serenate, Chenny, Jenate, Dair, Nuck, Duck, and Blarena. You are our true favourite Upper East Siders (besides the Humphreys, which are honorary members), and that will never change.
It’s been hard on you all, but you’ve pulled through. And you better know by now that we’re only hard on you cause we love you so much.
So I’m closing my laptop now, after one final farewell to everyone at Gossipgirl.net. I’ve had a ton of fun this past decade, but I’m older now, and it’s time to let the past go and move on. But you’ll all be in my heart forever.

-You know you love me-
xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL .

Chapter 58

2008-05-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

Chapter 58

After hours of sitting among normal class people high in the air with no escape, Chuck was happy to get off the plane and into the limo awaiting him outside.
The hot, humid air hit him like a brick as he stepped out into the still-sunny early evening. The limo driver picked up his bag, and Chuck glanced around. Towering, lush palm trees lined the street, creating a canopy above him. Bushes and shrubs overflowing with multicoloured flowers competed for his attention. And the clear blue sky, completely cloudless, surrounded the rainforesty paradise, enveloping in the thick air.
Inside the limousine, Chuck turned the air conditioning on high. As they drove their way to West Palm Beach, he gazed out at the scenery. Far off, Chuck could spot the glittering blue of the ocean. Nearer to him were mini forests of palm trees. All the colours and textures of nature were relaxing, compared to Manhattan’s bustling streets and high-rise apartment complexes.
When the chauffer finally pulled the limo up in front of what looked like a sea-side resort, he opened the door, and Chuck stepped out. Many tall, cream-coloured buildings surrounded them, with beautiful, Spanish-style columns and arches. Large balconies clung to the sides of the buildings, facing the ocean.
On the beach in front of the main building, people were scattered with umbrellas and picnic blankets and huge coolers. Children splashed around in the shallow tides and built sand sculptures at the shore. Parents and teenagers sunbathed on towels while some older people lounged on chairs, soaking up the Florida sun.
“Mr. Bass?”
Chuck turned towards his chauffer, and picked up his bag. “Do you require any further assistance?” the man asked.
“No, it’s okay,” Chuck replied, rolling the suitcase up towards the main building entrance. The limo driver went back around to the vehicle, got inside, and drove off from the curb. Chuck walked up to the front desk where a woman in a paisley suit was sitting, looking rather stiff and uptight.
“What can I do for you, sir?” she asked in a bored tone.
“Uh, yes, can you tell me where Blair Waldorf is staying?”
The woman typed rapidly on her keyboard, and then glanced at the computer screen. “Sunrise Building, villa number 206.”
“Thank you.” Chuck turned around and walked briskly out of the lobby. Outside, a golf cart was pulled up. The staff member driving it tossed Chuck’s suitcase in the back, and told him to hop in.
Chuck took a seat in front next to the driver, and they sped off down the shoreline.

The doorbell to Blair’s villa rung, and Blair unwillingly got up to answer it. She pushed herself up from her armchair, and slipped through the balcony doors and across the living room.
Without checking to see who it was through the peephole, Blair opened the door. She opened her mouth in surprise, and couldn’t breathe for a long moment.
Chuck smiled shyly at her. “Hey,” he said quietly.
Behind her, Chuck could see the amazingly gorgeous suite. It was like a hotel room, only beautified a hundred times over. Suede couches and glass coffee tables made up the living room, while the small kitchen had maple cabinets and granite countertops. On a platform with a few steps next to a huge bay window and the entrance to the balcony was a four-poster, king-size bed, with cream and lavender-coloured sheets. Large, frilly pillows and a swooping canopy adorned it with elegance.
But amidst the most beautiful room Chuck had ever seen, the only thing that interested him was the most beautiful girl, standing inside.
Blair’s eyes were soft and Bambi-esque as she looked at him. Her shiny brown curls were loose as they framed her face, and she was wearing a light pink sundress, which matched the polished toenails on her bare feet.
Chuck gazed back at her with an equally soft expression. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to be mad at me,” he said finally, his voice neither husky nor seductive. “And I didn’t tell you because I hated the fact that it happened. There’s nothing I regret more.”
Still, Blair said nothing. She just stood there, looking at him.
“Actually, that’s not true. The thing I regret the most is not being able to apologize and tell you how much I love you the minute Becky told you. I regret not letting you understand how much I loathe her, and what she did to you. I regret having to stand here and spill my heart out, all because I kept that secret from you.”
Blair’s eyes were glossy with tears. “You… you came. To Florida. For me.” Her voice was soft and broken.
“Well, of course. There was already one time when I didn’t go after you when I should have, and I couldn’t do that again.”
Blair looked down at her feet as a tear rolled slowly down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. “You didn’t have to come all the way here,” she said.
Chuck reached out and touched her cheek. She looked up at him. “Yes, I did. I knew you wouldn’t listen to me when I said I loved you. So I’m showing you.”
“I don’t…” Blair’s gaze didn’t move from his. “I’m not mad.”
Chuck looked at her dubiously. “It’s okay if you are. I deserve it.”
Blair let out an embarrassed laugh, and looked down. “I’m not. I just…” She looked up, blinking back tears. “Becky made me run. And I shouldn’t have given her the satisfaction. But I’m weak. And I was scared. I didn’t want to lose you.”
“You’re not weak,” Chuck said softly. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met. You take crap from people when you shouldn’t, but you know how to hold your head up when things get tough. And when you realize people deserve your revenge, you give it to them.” Chuck smiled, and kissed B’s forehead. “And trust me. You couldn’t lose me if you tried.”
Blair smiled back. She looked up at him with her shining brown eyes, and Chuck took her by the waist and pulled her into him. Resting her head on his chest, Blair tugged lightly on his bow tie, like she had long ago, in the closet of a French restaurant.
And Chuck buried his face in her messy chestnut locks, like he had so long ago. “I love you with all my heart, Blair Waldorf.”
Blair let out a little sigh, and smiled. “I know, Chuck,” she said, keeping her eyes on his little red bow tie. “I know.”

Chapter 57

2008-05-04T13:46:00.001-07:00

Chapter 57

Chuck and Serena burst into the Waldorf penthouse, out of breath. They had practically ran across the Upper East Side, not bothering with a ride through the high-traffic New York streets.
Eleanor Waldorf looked up from her magazine as they stepped out of the elevator, exhausted. “Charles and Serena?” she asked, surprised.
“We… we wanted to know…” Serena puffed, trying to get out the words. “Where’s Blair?” Chuck said, finishing for her.
Eleanor gave them an odd look, as if they had just asked her why she didn’t buy her shoes at Macy’s. “Why, she’s in Florida,” Mrs. Waldorf said, sounding as if it was obvious. “Didn’t she tell you?”
“Not exactly,” Serena replied.
“Florida?” Chuck asked, surprised himself. “Not Paris, or London, or Milan?”
“No… Florida. Harold has a condo over on West Palm Beach. Blair said she didn’t feel like the regular getaways; the relaxing beaches will be a nice break. She’s been so stressed lately.”
“Do you know how long she plans to be there for?” Chuck said, reading Serena’s mind.
Eleanor shrugged, but with elegance. Only a woman as worldly as herself could do that. “A few months, at the most. I’m not really sure. She could come back in a week, or not.”
Serena sighed. “Well, thank you for your help, Mrs. Waldorf,” she said politely.
“Of course. I just can’t believe she didn’t tell you two. You are her best friends after all.”
Chuck wondered if Eleanor Waldorf even knew of the extent of their relationship. He guessed not.
“Yeah,” Serena said, heading for the door. “I suppose she didn’t want it to go public.”
“Well, my bad, then,” Mrs. Waldorf said, laughing. Chuck and Serena stared at her.
“What?” she asked defensively. “Isn’t that what you youngsters say these days? ‘My bad’?”
Oh, god. Chuck and Serena hated it when adults tried to be cool. But didn’t every teenager? Of all the people, they never would have guessed Eleanor Waldorf would dare to drop to such a high level of patheticness.
“Yes, well, thank you,” Chuck said quickly, ushering Serena out. “Talk about scary,” he said quietly as they exited the building.
Serena laughed. “Yeah. So, what are you going to do, Chuck Bass? What shall it be?”
He glanced at her. “The plan is: my hotel suite, so I can pack. Then the airport. My father’s jet is in Italy with him on some trip, so I’ll have to settle for public. But it shouldn’t be too hard to get an instant flight, with my name.”
Serena scoffed at his arrogance, even in such a time like this. Even though she couldn’t help but admit he was right. “Fine. Do you want me to come with you? To the airport, I mean. I don’t think this is a situation I can help fix.”
“I think I’ll be okay. Plus, you’d just be wasting your time coming along. You’d better go home. I’ll call you later.” Chuck walked down the street a ways, and then hailed a cab. He turned to her just as a yellow taxi pulled up.
“And, Serena?” His eyes turned soft as Serena spotted the tiniest smile on his lips. “Thank you.”
Serena smiled warmly. She didn’t say anything, but just gave a little wave as Chuck lowered himself into the taxi.

“Here you are, sir. One ticket to Palm Beach, Sunshine State.”
The airport attendant smiled as she handed Chuck the printed boarding pass. Grabbing his suitcase, he headed for Customs.

“Serena.”
Becky pushed herself from the wall as Serena walked through her hotel suite door.
“Becky,” she said in surprise. “What… what are you doing in my suite?”
“I thought we could talk.” Becky’s expression looked strangely bitter. But not exactly unbelievable, as Serena remembered her face when she stormed out of Chuck’s place.
“I’m not really in the mood for talking,” Serena said simply as she hung up her coat and tossed her purse on the sofa.
“Well, too bad, because I am. So how about a little game or 20 Questions?” Becky raised her eyebrows. Serena loathed the gesture. “Question One. What was Chuck doing expecting you at his suite after school?”
“What do you think? With Blair not available, he obviously called me over for a quickie.”
Becky’s eyebrows shot up a little more, amused. “Question Two. Where is our little Blair Waldorf?”
“Taking some time off. I heard some people have been drawing her close to the depression line.”
“Question Three,” Becky said, unaffected. She looked at Serena suggestively. “You going to go after her?”
“Here’s a question for you, Rebecca,” Serena said, no longer in the mood for this stupidity. “When are you going to get the hell out of my suite, and go spread your crap to someone who cares?”
Becky blinked. Thrown aback for the second time today, she snatched up her coat and opened the door. “Fine. Be a b****. I was just trying to be friendly.”
“Yes, well, don’t. You’re not fooling anyone.” Serena nudged Becky out the door, and slammed it shut. Pushing the bolt over the door, she leaned back against it and sighed.
At that very moment, there was nothing Serena van der Woodsen wanted more than for Becky to get her scrawny *** back over to LA and leave her Upper East Side alone. Drama is fun. Scandal is juicy. Partying is wild. But Becky Summers? Becky Summers is chaos. Troublesome, evil, chaos.

Chapter 57

2008-05-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

Chapter 56

2008-05-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Chapter 56

“Alright, bye, Jenny.” Oliver kissed Jenny on the lips, and when he walked away, her friends began squealing.
“Oooh Jenny! He so loves you!” Isabel cooed.
“He so does. Did you see that? Adorable!” Kati added.
“Oh, come on, guys,” Jenny said, blushing. But deep inside, she was ecstatic. Not just because Oliver was now her official boyfriend, but because now she had her very own man for Is and Kati, infinite bachelorettes, to admire and envy.
Serena smiled. “Good for you, J,” she said happily. “But I have to go. I’ll talk to you guys later.” The girls waved as Serena walked away, leaving them to chat about Jenny’s new beau.
Suddenly, as Serena turned the corner out onto the street, Dan popped out in front of her.
“Dan!” she said excitedly, hugging him. She kissed him quickly, then pulled away. “I haven’t talked to you in forever.”
“Yes, well, you’ve been incredibly busy with that Becky girl.” Dan looked slightly disappointed. Serena frowned, and hugged him again.
“Awe, don’t be sad. You don’t have to worry about her being a bad influence on me anymore. I’m just waiting for the right moment to shun her from my life.”
Dan looked at her, puzzled. “Explain, please?” he asked.
“It’s… complicated. A Blair thing. I don’t even know.” Serena shrugged.
“Oh. Well, don’t hate me for it, but I’m glad. Something about her just didn’t seem right.”
“Apparently,” Serena muttered under her breath, thinking of the note from Blair stashed safely in her bag.
“But anyway, where is Blair?” Dan glanced around at the emptying campus. “I haven’t seen her all day.”
“I don’t know, but hopefully I’ll find out soon.” Dan gave her another quizzical look. “Don’t worry. She’s fine. I’ll just… I’ll explain later.” Serena kissed Dan’s cheek, and waved her fingers at him and she walked off down the path. Dan sighed, and started off in the other direction. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to Serena explaining her life in the vaguest way possible.

Chuck looked up as his hotel suite door opened. “Hey, Serena, I—” He stopped when he saw that it wasn’t Serena. It wasn’t even close.
“Serena, huh?” Becky closed the door behind her, looking amused. “Charles Bass, I had no idea. I thought you were a one-lady man.”
Chuck rolled his eyes. “Rebecca Kailey Summers, what do you want.”
“Oh, so we’re going formal now, huh?” Becky threw her coat onto the hanger, and walked slowly over to where Chuck was sitting. She sat beside him on the sofa and crossed her legs neatly. She smiled at him.
“So, you were expecting Serena? Hmm, I wonder what for.” Becky eyed him suggestively.
“Yes. It’s exactly what you think it is.” Chuck’s voice was dull, as if he didn’t want to talk playfully with her.
“What’s wrong?” Becky said, frowning. “You always used to like bantering with me.”
Immediately, Chuck thought of Blair. He liked bantering with Blair. He didn’t mind when she insulted him because he knew it was out of affection. And although the things she said weren’t always respectful, he knew she respected him. And he respected her, obviously. Chuck Bass doesn’t ask, “You Sure?” very often. Especially to hot, drunk, dress-less girls in his limo.
“I guess I’ve grown out of it.”
Becky inched closer. “A lot of things you’ve seemed to outgrow since I left,” she said, scooting over a little bit with each word.
“What do you want, Becky.” Chuck’s question was less of a question, and more of an invitation to her to leave.
“I just thought we could hang out,” she said innocently. “Like old times.” She leaned closer to him, placing her hand delicately on his thigh. Fingering his collar, Chuck could feel the heat of her breath. His pulse quickened, and he pushed her away slightly.
“What?” Becky pouted. A sly smile made its way onto her lips. “I’m not doing nothing.”
Chuck glanced at her wearily. “Becky,” he said, “No, okay? You know about me and Blair. And we…”
“Chuckles,” she said softly. “But we have history. Important history. And you just want to forget that? Like nothing happened? Like what we did that night meant nothing?”
“History. Exactly. That’s what it is; history. And I think you’re the one who wanted to forget.” Chuck’s voice started to waver a bit as he got louder, the anger boiling up inside him. “You’re the one who left a week later, left for the other side of the country. And didn’t call, or write, for 3 years. And then you just come back, expecting nothing to have changed. You expected Serena to still be a party girl. You expected Blair to still be Nate’s virgin. You expected me to forgive and wait for you to come back.”
He stared at her, hurt softening his face. “But I don’t wait. Not for people like you. You don’t deserve me waiting and being loyal while you were off drinking with the cast of the OC, and sleeping with the dancers from High School Musical. While you were attending movie premiers and red carpet events, you expected me to sit her in New York, waiting. And I got sick of waiting. I got sick of you controlling me from a million miles away, so I made a vow to do what I wanted.
“You’re the reason I found happiness in spending money and investing in strip clubs. You’re the reason I didn’t know what true happiness was until I was with Blair. You ruined my teen-hood and kept me from what I really wanted, just so when you decided to come back, you’d have someone to come home to. But I left that position a long time ago.
“So don’t even try. Because you know I’ll never even look at a selfish, b****y piece of **** like you ever again.”
For once, Becky Summers didn’t know what to say. For once, Becky Summers’ eyebrows weren’t raised. For once, Becky Summers was hurt. But Chuck wouldn’t let her have the satisfaction of being hurt. He’d let her have the guilt, and the understanding of what he’d always seen her as.
But she deserved nothing else.
“But… but you loved me”, was all she managed to say.
Chuck remained stone-faced. “No. I lusted after you. You were just one of the many stuck on that list.”
Becky opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Quickly, she tried to save some of her pride. Standing up, she snatched her coat, and opened the door without another word. But someone was already waiting on the other side of the door.
“Becky,” Serena said in surprise. The surprise wasn’t at her being at Chuck’s; it was the tears brimming her eyes. In all the years S had known Becky, she had never, never, seen her cry.
Still without saying anything, Becky pushed past her and hurried down the hallway. Serena turned to Chuck, silently asking him for an explanation.
Chuck sighed. “Don’t even ask,” he said, leaning back against the couch.
Serena just pursed her lips, and walked over. Sitting down where Becky had just been, she lifted her bag up beside her. Chuck sat up, intrigued.
“So? What’s going on?” he asked as Serena dug around in her purse. She pulled out the two envelopes, and handed one to Chuck.
“She left us letters. That’s the one she gave to me.”
Chuck read it over, frowning. Serena watched his face as he gravely handed it back to her.
“What was that part about you being able to elaborate?” she asked curiously.
“Remember when Becky and I dated a few years back, right before she left for California?” he asked, not hesitating to tell her. “Well, we slept together. My first time. And then she left.”
Serena’s eyes grew so wide they looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. “Uh…” Wow. Serena hadn’t even ever considered that Chuck had lost his virginity. She’d just thought he was born a nonvirgin.
“I know. So, what? Becky told Blair?”
“Well, it wasn’t exactly out in the open,” Serena pointed out.
Chuck sighed. “That’s because that’s a chapter in my life I’d like to forget.”
“Seriously? Out of everything, that’s the one thing you regret? Unbelievable.”
“You know what I mean. That girl just drives me insane. And not in a good way.” Chuck eyed the other envelope. “Is that one mine?” he asked.
Serena nodded, and handed it to him. She waited while he opened and read it.

Chuck,

Don’t think I’m not extremely pissed off at you for not telling me. You could have, you know. It would have been better than Little Miss Evil breaking it down.
I’ve gone away for a while. It’s just best. I need some time to cool off and think. I’m not going to tie you down, though. Do whatever you want while I’m gone; the Victrola girls must miss you.
And even though I can’t see you right now, and you kept this huge secret from me, just remember that I love you. Always will.

xo, Blair

Chuck let out another sigh as he read it over, and then handed it to Serena. She read it quickly, and placed it back in the envelope.
“Looks like she doesn’t want us to know where she’s gone,” Serena said quietly, looking at her lap.
“Well that’s stupid,” Chuck said. “We could just ask her mom.”
Serena shot up and looked at him. Her eyes were filled with hope.
“What? Now?” Chuck sounded almost irritated.
“You truly know nothing about romance,” she said, pulling him up and out the door. “No wonder you gave your virginity to Becky Summers.”
Chuck scoffed, but followed her down the hall to the elevator. “So, what? We ask Eleanor where Blair went, and then what do we do? Hop on a private jet and drag her back to Manhattan?”
Serena whirled around so abruptly Chuck bumped into her. She looked into his eyes, her expression serious. “I think you know what you need to do.”
Chuck gazed at her. Thoughts of Blair filled his mind. Her perfect smile, her warm eyes, her luscious lips, her amazing body. Her voice when she said his name. Her hair blowing about her face as the wind rushed by. Her soft, feminine hands as they slid over his jacket, her touch full of desire.
Chuck came back into focus and looked at Serena. His face was solemn with determination. “Let’s go,” he said firmly, pulling Serena into the elevator.

Chapter 55

2008-05-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

Chapter 55

Knock, knock.
“Blair?”
Blair’s bedroom door creaked open as Serena entered. Glancing around the room, Serena was shocked.
All the dresser drawers were pulled out, and empty. Rejected clothes were scattered across the floor, and Blair’s closet doors were open. The hangers inside were pathetically empty, with only a few last-season dresses left.
Serena’s mouth hung open in surprise. It looked as if someone with impeccably good taste had come in and raided Blair’s room, taking only the good stuff. And lots of it.
But then Serena noticed the bed. It was the only thing in the room that wasn’t torn apart. Sitting at the edge on the crisp, just-made sheets, were two envelopes. Cream-colored envelopes, both with a name written neatly on it in calligraphy. One said ‘Serena’, and the other said ‘Chuck’.
Glancing around the room once more, Serena made her way over to the bed, being careful not to step on any of the cashmere sweaters or silk tops blanketing the soft carpet.
Gently, Serena picked up her own envelope. Sitting on the bed beside the other one, she tore it open. A note was inside, written in Blair’s writing.

Serena,

Please don’t hate me, but I had to leave. Becky told me something that I just couldn’t handle. Chuck should be able to elaborate. I just needed to get away for a while. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I need you to understand. Becky Summers hasn’t changed one bit. Please don’t trust her. She’s evil and manipulative and ruthless. And not even in a classy way like me.
If Chuck’s note is still here, please take it to him. Thank you so much for being a good friend to me, S.

Love always, Blair

Serena read the letter over and over again until each word was engraved in her mind. Where had B gone? Surely she couldn’t have left for some exclusive location. Or could have she? Her father did own many getaways around the world.
Serena folded up the note and stuck it back in the envelope. She grabbed Chuck’s, too, and stuffed them both into her schoolbag. She’d have to give it to him later.
Right now she had to deal with how she would face Becky at school.

“Van der Woodsen! Get your skinny *** over here!” Becky grinned and waved at Serena. Cautiously, S made her way across the courtyard.
“What are your plans for lunch?” Becky asked, linking arms with Serena. Carefully, so as not to look like she was avoiding her, Serena pulled her arm away.
“Um, actually, me and the girls were just going to eat on the steps.”
“Oh. So you don’t want to go have some coffee and tonic?” Becky pouted as she tugged on Serena’s hand. Serena shook her head, and stuck her hand in the pocket of her Burberry coat.
“Not exactly. I’m going sober.”
“You’re such a disappointment,” Becky said, laughing. Then, she looked past Serena’s shoulder, and frowned. “Wait. Where’s Blair?”
Serena paused. She considered whether she should tell Becky about the note. She had a feeling, definitely not.
“I don’t know,” Serena replied finally, and honestly.
Becky shrugged. “Maybe she’s just not feeling well or something.” She gave Serena a sly smile.
“Maybe.”
“But fine. You go have lunch with Blair’s followers. But they might not show without their precious Queen.”
“Oh, I’m sure they will.”
“Whatever.” Becky gave Serena a little squeeze, and ran off.
Serena sighed, and gazed after her. Suddenly, she felt someone behind her. She could feel hot breath against her neck. She turned her head, and saw Chuck following her gaze as Becky entered one of Constance’s many buildings.
Chuck caught her eye, and gave her a once-over. “Looking good, VD Woodsen.”
“Shut up.” Serena rolled her eyes, and folded her arms to hug herself. The chilly winter air nipped at her cheeks, chilling her whole face.
“Oh, that reminds me.” Chuck gave Serena a quizzical look as she reached into her bag. Then, suddenly, she stopped. Looking up at Chuck, she said quietly, “Blair’s gone. We have to talk. I’ll come over after school, okay?”
Chuck’s face turned cold and serious. “Gone?” he repeated. Serena nodded, but said no more.
“It would be better if we talked later, in private.” Chuck nodded in agreement, and walked off as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Serena’s hand clutched the envelopes inside her bag protectively.
She spotted Is and Kati making their way across the courtyard, so she stuffed the letters deep into her bag, and started towards them.
The less people to know about B’s disappearance, the better.

Chapter 54 -Part 2

2008-05-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Chapter 54
Part 2

Blair sauntered into the foyer, dropping her purse on the table in the hall. She flicked on the light switch, and looked up in surprise.
Becky Summers was sitting on one of the sofas, in the middle of Blair’s penthouse.
“Becky, hi,” Blair said, just slightly confused. “What are you doing in my house? In the dark? At 10:40?” Blair resisted the urge to make a comment about how creepy this seemed.
A slow smile crept onto Becky’s face. “Actually, I was hoping we could talk.” She reached across from her and patted the sofa seat on the other side of the coffee table. Blair hesitated for a moment, but then decided to go sit down.
“What’s up?” she asked optimistically.
“You and Chuck are dating, right?” Becky asked, the strange smile still plastered on her face. Somehow Blair realized that she didn’t answer the question.
“Um, yeah,” B said slowly. “Why?”
“And he loves you, and you love him. Right?” Becky’s eyebrows were now raised, waiting patiently for an answer. But not too patiently.
“Well…” Blair weighed her answer in her mind. To tell or not to tell? Could she really trust this Becky girl, whom she hadn’t seen in 3 years, and technically didn’t know anymore? She decided on the best answer she could think of. “What does this have to do with anything?”
“I was just curious.” Finally. An actual answer to Blair’s own questions. “I mean, you two seem really close. Chuck talks about you all the time.”
“Chuck… talks about me?”
“Mm-hmm.” Becky’s facial expression didn’t change in the slightest. “How could he not? I mean, Chuck and Blair are… epic. More epic than Blair and Nate, I would say.”
Blair looked down at her lap, trying to find the reasoning for this chat within her own mind. No such luck.
“But… you see, Blair Waldorf, the question is, how long has he loved you? How long have you been number one in his heart?”
“Serena… Serena says forever,” Blair said quietly, with a little laugh. She didn’t like this at all. She felt so powerless in this strange conversation.
“Forever,” Becky repeated, thinking it over. “Forever’s a long time, don’t you think?”
Blair looked up at her, a fierce glow starting to burn in her eyes. She wouldn’t lose control here. Not now, not in her own home. She wouldn’t let this girl take away her authority. She was Blair Waldorf, after all.
“Yes, it is.” Blair’s voice was much more firm than how she felt inside.
But still, Becky’s strength didn’t waver. She was holding on to something, something that would leave her victorious. But the question was, what? Why was she doing this?
Becky let out a very quiet sigh through her nostrils. She cocked her head and gazed into Blair’s eyes. Leaning forward, her eyes never unlocked from B’s.
“You weren’t Chuck’s first love. Believe what you want, but everything has to start from something. And Chuck’s bad-boy, womanizer attitude didn’t just come out of thin air. There was a reason.”
Blair swallowed. Hard. She tried to search Becky’s eyes for answers, but her face was as unreadable as a blank page in the middle of a suspense novel. It told her nothing, when she needed to know everything.
Becky’s voice lowered even more. But the assuredness never left her tone. “The philosophy here is, when you take someone’s virginity, you take a little piece of them. A little piece they will never get back. You own a piece of their heart. You have control, and power, over them.” Becky let a half smile grace her lips. “Exactly like Chuck has power over you.”
Blair’s mouth opened in surprise. But really, she couldn’t be all that shocked at the fact Becky had known about her losing her V card to Chuck Bass.
Now, Becky’s voice was an evil whisper. She took pleasure in every word, coming closer and closer to tearing down Blair Waldorf with every syllable. “And exactly like I have power over Chuck.”
Blair’s eyes grew wide, brimming with tears. One rolled silently down her cheek as she sat there, speechless. Blair felt her heart clenching as she forgot to breathe.
“Chuck Bass will always be mine, Blair Waldorf,” Becky said, a little smile on her face. “Don’t think because you handed him your innocence, your fairy tale life will have a happy ending. Deep down, Chuck will always hold that love for me in his heart. He knows he can’t replace me, try as he might with little sl**s such as yourself. I hold the one thing that has kept Chuck Bass from being capable of true love. And I won’t let it go until that love is restored to its rightful owner.”
Becky put an index finger to her chest, a victorious smile adorning her wicked-looking face. Even in the light of the huge crystal chandelier above them, Becky Summers looked as dark as the time a girl from Blair’s freshman class had dressed up as Marilyn Manson for Halloween.
Another tear rolled down Blair’s face, and her bottom lip started to tremble. A sour taste filled her mouth, and her lungs felt shrivelled. She let out little gasps for air, still trying to maintain some dignity in front of this horrible person. But it was the hardest thing Blair had ever tried to do.
“Get out,” she managed to hiss, her voice croaky.
“Excuse me?” Becky smiled mockingly, taunting her.
“I said ‘get out’,” Blair snapped, her voice louder and stronger this time. She glared and Becky, feeling like at any moment she would vomit all over Summers’ exquisite, diamond-studded heels. Which wouldn’t have been such a bad thing.
But Becky just sat there, looking as innocent as a newborn kitten. Her head was cocked slightly to the left, showing fake concern.
“I said, GET OUT!” Blair yelled, snatching Becky’s purse from the coffee table and flinging it across the room. It slid to a stop in front of the elevator door. “And leave my friends, and my boyfriend, and me, alone.” B’s tone was laced with poison. But still, it didn’t seem to affect Becky in the slightest.
“Oh, I’m afraid I can’t do that, Blair darling,” she said sweetly. “Your friends love me, and your boyfriend doesn’t fall short, either.”
Blair resented her with all the hate in her body. She wanted to just reach out and grab Becky’s perfect head of golden brown locks, and slam it over and over again into the glass coffee table.
“Blair,” Becky said softly, looking into her chocolate brown eyes, “You know I hold more power than anyone here. And I know more secrets, and more things to use as blackmail, than any other seventeen-year-old girl on the planet. So I strongly suggest you stop trying to mess with me. You think you’re tough? You don’t know what I can do, Waldorf. And you don’t want to know.”
With one last smile, one filled with evil, Becky stood up, briskly picked up her bag, and slipped out into the elevator.
Blair sat on the sofa, looking at the place where Becky had been sitting. Suddenly, she stood up and ran to the nearest bathroom.
Damn it. The vomit had come just a few minutes too late.

Chapter 54 -Part 1

2008-05-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

Chapter 54 -Part 1
“I’m telling you, Serena, I really do think Dan’s in love with me!”
Blair grinned as she popped an olive into her mouth. Dropping her toothpick back into her martini glass, she pushed it across the bar counter and gestured for another. The bartender was quick to fetch her a new one. And Blair was quite pleased that he actually looked at her, instead of gaping at Serena. It proved that B didn’t need her uber-hot friend just to get some attention.
She winked at the cute, tuxedo-plaid bartender as she delicately picked up her new drink. Turning back to Serena, she gave her an amused smile.
“Oh, please, you wish,” Serena said, downing the rest of her own martini. She choked and coughed when the olive slid out of the glass and into her throat, and Blair laughed.
“Seriously, S,” Blair insisted. “Yesterday he was practically begging for phone sex.”
Now it was Serena’s turn to laugh. “Well, Blair, you know how the guys can’t resist you.”
“I know.” Blair let out a concerned sigh, and stirred her drink with the toothpick. “It sure is hard to be so beautiful, with all these guys chasing after me. Oh, why did God have to be so cruel? Couldn’t he have given this timeless beauty to someone who needs it? Like a Humphrey girl or something?”
They both laughed, and Serena slapped B’s arm lightly. “Oh, come on. No need to be snobby.” Blair laughed evilly and took a sip of her drink.
“Hey, where’s Becky?” Serena asked suddenly, scanning the bar. “I invited her to come meet us.”
Blair shrugged. “Who knows? Becky Summers doesn’t play by the rules.” Serena considered this, and chose just to wait and see if she would show up.
“Well, anyway, how are things with Mr. Bass?” Serena grinned suggestively as she motioned for another drink. The bartender was quick to obey.
“Bart? Oh, he’s fine. But, you know, we decided to just stay friends. For the sake of all of us.”
Serena let out a very noisy laugh. A few people from other tables began to stare, but B shot them death glances, and they all looked quickly away.
“Oh, shut up,” Serena said finally. “You know I meant Mr. Bass Jr.”
“Mr. Bass Jr… has a nice ring to it,” Blair said thoughtfully. She looked at Serena and smiled. “He’s alright. But for an ex-womanizer, he sure does get jealous easily.”
“Well,” Serena said, tipping back her glass, “I guess he’s just used to having everything he wants, and not having to fight for it.”
“Which begs the question of why he pursued me, when he knew Nate and I were together.”
Serena gave Blair a look that suggested that Blair was missing the obvious. “You and Nate weren’t together when you two hooked up, though,” she pointed out. “He just saw an opportunity to finally get the girl of his dreams, so he jumped in when he could.”
Blair snorted a laugh. “Oh, come on. It was a spur-of-the-moment type thing. It’s not as if he’d been waiting his whole life to confess his love.”
“You don’t know that,” Serena said slowly. Blair gave her a quizzical look.
“Stop being ridiculous, Serena.”
“Then how do you explain why he stayed with you, and didn’t just move on to bigger and better things?”
“Because there is nothing better,” Blair said in a very conceited tone, pulling out her compact mirror to fix her lipstick. She applied another coat and ran her finger along the edges of her lips for a long minute before closing the mirror and slipping it back in her clutch.
“Fine. Whatever you’d like to believe,” Serena said dismissively.
“I’ll believe whatever’s true, thank you very much.” The tone in B’s voice was slightly defensive. “Plus, if you believe so much that he’s been in love with me all this time, why don’t you go ask him about it?”
Serena raised her eyebrows, and looked over Blair’s shoulder, actually considering this. It wasn’t such a bad idea. At least then she could give Chuck some credit for being human.
“But that’s beside the point.” Blair was about to ask for another drink, but she decided three was enough. She had a History exam the next day, and hangovers didn’t do her academic skills any good.
She stood up to leave, grabbing her coat and bag. Kissing Serena on the cheek, Blair said, “See you tomorrow. Phone me tonight, kay?” Blair smiled, and gave S a little hug.
Serena waved as B walked briskly out of the bar. Sighing, she looked down at her almost-empty martini glass. Glancing up at the bartender, she said, “Another one, please. It’s the best way to clear an overworked mind.” She smiled warily as the man nodded and silently mixed her up a fresh drink.

Good evening, New York. Tonight, we have some very special, very exclusive weekly news. First of the hour: Jenny Humphrey, exiting a Brooklyn coffee house and looking quite shocked and lost. None other than Becky Summers was still sitting inside, looking more triumphant than anyone could have guessed. What have we here? What could our precious B Summers have told Little J that would change her usually cheerful disposition? I hope it’s juicy. Because scandal is never out of style.
But that doesn’t look like the only thing our latest It Girl is up to. Is it possible we could have a little B on B showdown, right at the Waldorf residence? Doesn’t Summers know better than to challenge a fight on another queen’s territory? We’re all on the egde of our seats to see how this one will go down. Come on and bring out the claws, girls. It’s gonna be a rough night. Rawr.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Chapter 53

2008-05-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

Chapter 53

“Jenny Humphrey, isn’t it?”
Becky Summers strode into the Brooklyn coffee house, giving the place a slightly disapproving once-over. Her eyes settled back on Jenny, and a warm smile flooded onto her face. She walked over, and sat down on the steel chair across from J. Glancing down, Becky noticed the double-chocolate-chip muffin on Jenny’s plate.
“A few grams of sugar past healthy, don’t you think?” she said, raising her eyebrows. Looking at Becky’s expression, Jenny could feel her unspoken demand. The demand to toss out a perfectly delicious muffin, just because it didn’t fit Beck’s anorexic standards.
“You’re probably right,” Jenny said dismissively, grabbing the muffin and tossing it into the trash can by their table. Becky laughed.
“Come on. Don’t feel like you need to turn all Bulimic Blair on us,” she said cheerfully, waving over one of the servers. Jenny was about to point out that being bulimic and not eating breakfast were two totally different things, but then she thought better of it. Mainly because she had just noticed how Becky had managed to toss the word ‘Blair’ into that statement. Who needs breakfast after all? There’s some food for thought right there.
“Yes, two double-chocolate-chip muffins, two chocolate dip donuts, two éclairs, and two iced coffees, no sugar. We’re trying to watch our eating habits.” She gave a completely innocent smile to the waiter, who just stumbled off, looking quite puzzled.
Becky glanced at Jenny. “We need to get some fat on your bones, girl. You’re way too skinny to be 14. And too hot.” She winked, sending red rushing up into Jenny’s cheeks.
“Um, I… I only have a few bucks on me,” Jenny said carefully. “I don’t think I have enough for all of that. I left my wallet in my Chanel purse at home.”
Becky laughed. “Oh, Little J. So naïve.” She gave Jenny a sympathetic smile. “You don’t have to lie to me. Blair told me about your Brooklyn roots.”
Jenny blushed an even darker shade of red. “Sorry,” she managed to mumble.
“Oh, it’s okay. Having the friends you do, I’m sure you really do have a Chanel bag. Or if you don’t, it won’t be long until you do. Or at least Burberry, if Blair’s cheap.” Becky laughed as she took a sip of her coffee. Something deep inside Jenny told her Becky wasn’t kidding.
“But hey, anyway…” Becky tore off a piece of muffin and popped it into her well glossed mouth. “What do you think of Waldorf’s inner circle? Nice people, huh?”
Jenny couldn’t decide if that last part was sarcasm or not. But she decided to go with it. “Yeah. Serena’s pretty cool, and Nate’s fun, even though he and Blair… you know.” Jenny blushed, once again. This was just one big embarrassment after another.
“Yeah, I know,” Becky said casually. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “Nate, huh?” Her infamous eyebrows were raised. When were they ever not? “So… what’s the deal with you two, anyway? You seemed pretty close when we went out last week.”
“Oh, we’re just friends,” Jenny managed to say nonchalantly. “After all, my heart belongs to Chuck Bass.” Even with her light-hearted attitude, J couldn’t help but feel a little nauseous at her own joke.
Becky laughed. “Yeah, in your dreams.”
“Then dreams must mean reality because I swear, it wasn’t all innocent at the Kiss on the Lips.” Jenny raised her own eyebrows in a pathetic attempt to achieve Becky’s classic look. She sipped her coffee as if it were a martini; delicately, with poise and a hint of arrogance. Normally, on someone like Blair Waldorf, the action would have been admired, but on Jenny Humphrey, it just looked as pathetic as her eyebrow-raising.
But with that statement, Becky looked up, in both surprise and amusement. An impressed look could even be found deep in her eyes, if one looked hard enough. Caused by either her believing Jenny and her little remark about the Kiss on the Lips, or by her not believing a word and being awed at J’s audacity.
“Oh really,” she said finally, daring Jenny to spill. “And what does that mean?”
“Well,” Jenny said, stirring her drink as if it was no big deal. “Let’s just say Chuck and I were not without action on the hotel rooftop.”
Becky stared at her incredulously. Jenny couldn’t even comprehend what she was saying. But she knew it was impressing Becky Summers, which was always a good thing.
Suddenly Becky’s expression morphed from intrigued to serious, almost solemn. “Tell me about Chuck,” she said, her voice slightly lowered.
Jenny cocked her head slightly. “What’s there to tell?” she asked. “I thought you knew him pretty well.”
“I did,” Becky said gravely. “But I heard he, changed, after I left.”
Jenny shrugged. “He’s always been kind of perverted.” She let out a little laugh. “Well, not kind of. But you know.”
Becky remained silent for a moment, as if this was new information to her. “Yeah, I suppose so,” she said slowly. Gazing into her swirling coffee, Becky considered her next few words. She finally looked up, staring right into Jenny’s eyes.
“You know,” she said quietly, her gaze so intense she didn’t even blink. “Chuck wasn’t always… perverted. Well, I mean, he always said pervy things, but he was never so… what’s the word? Sex obsessed? You know what I mean.” Becky searched J’s eyes. It made Jenny feel extremely uncomfortable.
She swallowed hard, trying to digest this information. But it was hard with beads of sweat rolling down her neck. “Um, yeah,” was all she managed to squeak.
Becky leaned in and lowered her voice even more. Her stare lightened up a little bit, as she looked like she was getting ready to tell Jenny a very exclusive secret. And maybe she was.
“What I’m trying to say, is,” Becky paused, a naughty half-smile gracing her lips. She glanced around the not-so-busy coffee house. “Something must have happened to turn Chuck into the person he is today. Something very big. Very big.” She stared at J, never moving her eyes even in the slightest way. It was as if she was waiting for Jenny to catch on to what she was saying, with the littlest hints possible. But Becky soon realized it was going to take more than some vague tips to let Jenny Humphrey in on Chuck’s biggest secret.
“Jenny, do you know who Chuck Bass lost his virginity to?” Becky’s voice was now very hushed, and almost inaudible. Jenny had to read her lips just to make sure she heard everything.
“Well, no, I mean, I guess I never really thought about it…” Jenny looked away for a moment, racking her brain for an explanation of this conversation. Where was Becky going with this? The only possible reason was… well, no, it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t. Impossible. Unthinkable. Unbelievably ridiculous. Yet somehow, it didn’t seem like the slightest bit of nonsense. Becky Summers was telling Jenny Humphrey…
Oh. My. F-ing. God.

Chapter 52

2008-05-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

Chapter 52

Kiss.
“You know—”
Kiss.
“We hardly ever—”
Kiss.
“Talk—”
Kiss.
“Anymore.”
Kiss.
“That’s because—”
Kiss.
“You never—”
Kiss.
“Want to—”
Kiss.
“Talk.”
Kiss.
Blair let out a giggle and pulled away. She gazed into Chuck’s eyes.
“That’s because you’re so damn hot, I can’t resist.”
Chuck leaned in for another kiss. “I know. But you have to control yourself. You’re wearing me out.”
Blair huffed. “Ha! As if.” She rolled her eyes, but smiled at him. B pushed him off to the side and sat up. She looked at him, a mysterious grin making her cheeks rosy.
“Maybe we don’t need to talk all the time,” Blair whispered, placing a well-manicured hand on Chuck’s knee.
“Or maybe we’re both such sex addicts that we forget that talking’s part of a relationship.”
“That’s so stereotypical. Just because we have a lot of sex doesn’t mean we’re addicts.” Blair rolled her eyes and adjusted her curls.
“Speak for yourself on that one,” Chuck mumbled under his breath, glancing at Blair. She let out an annoyed sigh, but nudged his leg playfully. She leaned towards him, skimming his collar with her fingers, and brushing her lips against his.
Chuck inhaled slowly, breathing in Blair’s intoxicating scent. It had changed since the beginning of the school year; once sweet and sugary, screaming ‘virgin’, it was now spicier, with tasteful splashes of maturity, proving she was a good girl gone bad. He liked this one much better; it fitted her. Fiery and sophisticated, but subtle with just a hint of sweetness.
Pulling her closer, Chuck’s hands slid down her hips and around the backs of her thighs. He leaned down onto the bed, bringing her down with him. His hands moved slowly, slipping up her ribcage, grazing her breasts, and passing over her shoulders, playfully fingering the straps of her dress.
Blair’s lips were gentle on his, but Chuck could taste the desire. Suddenly, just as Chuck was about to reach for the hem of B’s dress and pull it up, the space beside them started vibrating. Blair pulled away slightly, and her gaze settled on her phone. She reached across the bed, and picked it up. Flipping it open, she stopped the ringtone: Sour Cherry, by The Kills.
“Hello?” Blair’s voice was laced with irritation.
“Blair?”
B opened her mouth in surprise. “…Dan?” Chuck shot a glare at her, his eyes wide, seeking an explanation in her face. His lips curled into a frown as he mouthed the words, “What’s he calling for?” B just shrugged, and mouthed back, “I don’t know”.
“Um, have you talked to Serena lately?”
“Not really… why?”
“Well…” Dan’s voice trailed off as he thought. “She just isn’t answering her phone or anything. I don’t know if anything’s wrong or what…”
Blair shrugged again. “I’m sure she’s fine,” she replied dismissively.
“But… I’m just… concerned. She’s been spending a lot of time with that girl Becky. Should I be worried?”
“Oh, Becky’s harmless. She’s just a partier. Serena’s probably just having fun.”
Chuck rolled his eyes, and pushed Blair off. She stood up, and did back up the buttons on his shirt.
“That’s what I’m worried about. Becky doesn’t seem like the best influence.”
“Um, can you hold on a sec?” Blair pressed the phone to her neck and whirled to face Chuck, pleading with her eyes. He just glared at her, and opened her bedroom door. He strode out, slamming the door behind him. Blair sighed.
“I don’t know, Dan,” she said, sitting back down on the bed. “She’s been hanging out with Becks a lot lately. But I’m sure everything’s okay.”
“I hope so. She’s really changed.”
“You mean since her old, party-girl days? More than you’ll ever know.” Blair lounged back and examined her pinky nails.
“What do you think of Becky?” Dan asked suddenly.
Blair was taken aback for a moment, before she regained her nonchalant disposition. “What do you mean?” she asked carefully.
“Well, do you like her? You don’t seem the best of friends.”
“We’re not. I mean, yeah, she’s okay, and we got along, but we just never… connected, you know?”
“Yeah,” Dan said, understandingly.
Blair laughed nervously. “Okay, this conversation is turning way too casual. It sounds as if we do this all the time.” Dan let out an amused huff.
“Well, maybe we should do it more often. You know, since we’re so close in person.”
“Oh, yes,” Blair said light-heartedly. “We’re totally BFFs. But talking on the phone just doesn’t give me that same satisfaction as when we are together, darling.”
Now it was Dan’s turn to laugh. “I know what you mean, Waldorf. There’s just a certain… je ne sais quoi, that comes along with being in your presence.”
“Oh, of course. But really, we must have these little chats more often.”
“Couldn’t agree more.”
And with that, Dan clicked off the line, and Blair was left sitting on her bed, too uplifted by his phone call to even give Chuck Bass a second thought.

Spotted: C Bass, storming out of the Waldorf Chateau. What’s wrong, babe? Jealousy get your blood boiling? Well, not to fear. Your little princess isn’t going anywhere. You may not like to be tied down, but when you poke at B’s soft spot, she practically hands you the rope herself.
Lonely Boy, lonely once again. I feel almost sorry for him. He’s always losing his girl to us wretched Upper East Siders. Which, speaking of, reminds me of one confused St. Jude’s boy. ‘Archibald’ may be an old-fashioned, and well-kept name, but that just makes N shaming it oh so much better. So what will it be, Nathaniel? A Brooklyn fling, the continuation of a blonde pursuit, or the easy love of our latest heiress? We’re all waiting on you. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Xo, xo.

Chapter 51

2008-05-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Chapter 51

Serena and Becky were sitting at the Palace Bar having a few early drinks, when suddenly the door opened, and Nate walked in. He caught Serena’s eye, and smiled shyly. Becky glanced at him, and then at Serena, and smirked. She shook her head as she looked down at her drink, stirring it.
“Uh, hey, Serena,” Nate said slowly, walking over to them. Serena looked uncomfortable.
“What do you want, Nate,” she said, trying to sound as pleasant as possible.
“I just… I wanted to talk to you.” Nate tried to make eye contact with her, but she kept turning away. He glanced at Becky.
“You know what?” Becky said quickly, taking a hint. “I actually have to go.” She leaned over to Serena and whispered, “Are you gonna be okay?”
Serena nodded, staring at the bar counter. Becky smiled, and squeezed her friend’s arm before getting up. She waved a few fingers at Nate, then picked up her Burberry purse and left.
Nate sat down in Becky’s place nervously. “I just… I wanted to apologize.” Serena looked up at him. Hurt was in her eyes.
“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Nate,” she said, in that tone that showed her disappointment.
Nate looked down at his hands. “I know. And, I was a real ***. But I just missed you so much. And, I hate being without you.”
“Nate,” Serena said softly. She took his hand gently in hers. “You aren’t without me. We’re friends, remember?”
He looked up at her, his eyes shiny with tears. “I want to be more than friends, Serena. I need us to be more than friends.”
Serena studied his face. “I can’t,” she said quietly. “I… I love Dan.” Nate looked back down at the table. “Besides, Nate, you know we can’t be more. I can’t handle it again.”
“I love you, Serena,” Nate whispered, still not looking at her. “And I was so stupid for doing that whole thing with Vanessa, but, I’ve tried everything else.”
Serena sighed. “You need to understand that we’re just friends, Nate. I do love you, but, just as a friend. And I really need you to be okay with that.”
Nate swallowed hard. “Okay,” he said uncertainly.
“Okay?” Serena said quietly. She smiled softly, and kissed his cheek. Nate forced a little smile in return, and then got up.
“See you tomorrow,” he said, and walked slowly out the bar door. When he got outside, he saw Becky leaning against the wall. She smiled, and sauntered over to him.
“Didn’t go well?” Becky pouted her lips, and bit down on the bottom one gently.
Nate shrugged. “I didn’t really expect it to.”
Becky walked carefully over until she was right in his face. “You don’t need her,” she whispered. She stood on her tiptoes so that their lips were almost touching. “You don’t need anyone… when you have me.”
Nate stared into her icy blue eyes. “I don’t know, Becky…” he said half-heartedly.
Becky licked her lips. “Just… trust me on this one.” A seductive smile spread across her face. She tilted her head back slightly, and brushed his lips with hers. Nate could taste her pomegranate-flavoured lip gloss.
Becky’s eyes stared deep into his. “My hotel room’s empty, and it’s the weekend. I can always cancel drinks with Blair and the girls. It’s not every day a girl can have someone like you.”
A slow smile managed its way onto Nate’s face. Maybe he really didn’t need Serena after all. Becky was just as hot.
“Come on,” she whispered. She fidgeted with his tie. “It’ll be perfect. I promise.” She looked up at him, her eyes almost pleading.
Nate let out a little sigh. “Alright. But no one hears about this.”
“It’ll be our little secret,” Becky said, reaching up to kiss him again.

“So, are you still going out with Blair and the girls tonight?”
Dan pushed a plate stacked high with waffles towards Serena. She stared at them ravenously. They were in the Humphrey loft, pigging out on all the food Rufus had bought earlier that week. Or, at least, Serena was.
“I don’t think so,” Serena said, reaching for the syrup. “Becky called me a while ago and cancelled. She has other plans or something.”
“Are you sure Becky’s the best person to hang out with?” Dan asked slowly. “I mean, she seems kind of… wild.”
“Hey,” Serena scolded, sticking a chunk of waffle in her mouth. “I was wild when you met me, and you accepted me for who I was. And look at where we are now: eating waffles together in the family kitchen, passing around the L Word; it’s like we’re married.”
“Yeah, a sexless marriage,” Dan sighed. “Which doesn’t sound all too great to me.”
“Hey, you said yourself, ‘Sex is meaningful, like art. And you can’t rush art.’” Serena laughed, and took another bite of her waffles.
“I know, but you mean a lot to me, and we’re just so close and everything.” Dan closed the fridge door as he placed a glass of milk on the table.
Serena abruptly threw down her fork and got up. “What, you wanna have sex right now?” she asked, grabbing Dan’s hand and pulling him towards his bedroom. “Fine, let’s have sex, right now.” Dan laughed.
Serena pushed open the bedroom door with her foot, and flopped down on the bed, pulling Dan down on top of her. “Come on, Dan Humphrey. Show me what you got.” She flung her arms and legs out, looking at him expectantly. Dan just laughed again, and rolled off beside her.
“You know what, we can wait,” he said, kissing her ear. “You smell too much like waffles. I’d be thinking of my dad.”
Serena shot up from the bed. “Whoa, yeah, okay, it’s getting creepy now.” S laughed and pulled Dan up.
“But back to what I was originally saying,” Dan said, following her out of the room, “you weren’t all that wild when I met you. At least, that I noticed.” Dan smiled. “I just, I feel like Becky is partying way too hard for your pace.”
“Oh, hush,” Serena said, sitting back down to her waffles. “Becky’s my friend, and we’re really close. Or, we were, and we are now. And I know sometimes she’s a little… insane, but I still love her.” Serena pouted. Dan laughed. “Okay,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Just be careful. I like my Serena good.”
Serena smiled. “I know.”

Chapter 50

2008-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Chapter 50

“Miss Blair, someone is here to see you!” the maid called from downstairs.
“Who is it?” Blair called back, fluffing up her hair in front of her vanity mirror.
“Miss Becky Summers, she says.”
“Okay, send her up.” Blair sighed and she gazed at her reflection.
A few moments later, Blair’s bedroom door swung open and Becky walked in.
“You really have no life,” she said, laughing. “You spend all your time in this stuffy little room.” She gazed around Blair’s bedroom, which was anything but stuffy or little.
Blair narrowed her eyes and gave her a curt smile. “You’re so kind, Becky darling.”
Becky grinned and flopped down on the bed. “I know. I’m fabulous.”
“What are you doing here?” Blair asked cheerfully, putting in an earring.
“Oh, I just wanted to see how you were. After not showing up for school yesterday, after all.” Becky raised her eyebrows and caught Blair’s eye through the mirror.
Blair turned around to face her. “I’m fine,” she answered simply. Becky smirked.
“And how’s Chuck?”
Blair opened her mouth and paused. She gave Becky a brief smile, and said, “He’s fine.”
Becky looked away from her quickly. “That’s good.”
There was a silent moment, as both girls tried to read each other’s expressions. Finally, Becky said, “So, it’s Friday, and, you know, I was just wondering…”
Blair sighed. “Yes, Becky. Drinks at 8.”
Becky grinned. “Good. You guys are way too sober.”
“I know,” Blair said, looking at her almost sympathetically. “We’re pathetic.”
“Unfortunately.” Becky laughed and threw a pillow at Blair.
“Hey, um, can I ask you about Chuck?”
Blair frowned slightly. “What about?” she asked slowly.
Becky’s lips pouted, and she stopped smiling. “Well, I just wanted to know about your relationship.”
Blair shrugged, and turned around to put in the other earring. “What’s there to know?”
Becky shook her head. “Nothing… I guess. But, can you tell me about how he was, before you guys got together?”
Blair paused again. She avoided Becky’s eye in the mirror. “We don’t really… talk about it,” she said uncertainly. “He… I don’t know, it’s hard to put into words. But I think ‘womanizer’ pretty much sums it up.”
Becky thought for a moment. “What was so different about you, then?”
Blair gave a little shrug. She didn’t actually know herself. “Um, I guess…” she trailed off, racking her brain for something to say. She sighed. “I seriously don’t know. He just, after we hooked up, he changed. It was like, the start of a whole new person.”
Becky took a deep breath and processed this information. She licked her lips, nervous. “When… when did Chuck start his whole womanizer phase?” she asked slowly.
“Uh, I don’t know.” Blair laughed. “It was just like that’s how he’d always been. We all forgot what he was like without his perverted ways.”
“So you don’t know what changed him?”
“Don’t know, or don’t remember. It was a real gradual change, I think. We just kind of never noticed, until one day, he was full-on, date-rapist Chuck Bass.” Blair’s thoughts became cloudy when she tried to recall the answers to Becky’s questions. “But what does it matter? He’s different now.”
“Yeah,” Becky said quietly. “Hey, I uh, I gotta go. Homework and stuff, you know.”
Blair raised her eyebrows sceptically. “Since when do you do homework?”
Becky laughed. “Since Constance started kicking out the people who don’t.”
Blair smiled a little. “Alright, see you later,” she said, waving, as Becky got up to leave.
“Bye, Blair.” She blew her friend a kiss, and left the room.

As Becky turned the corner on her way to Sak’s, she ran into Nate. He was leaning against a brick wall, smoking a joint.
“Hey, Becks,” he said when he saw her. Becky smiled and walked over.
“Can I have some of that?” Nate handed her the joint, and she took a long drag on it, closing her eyes. Tilting her head back, she blew out the smoke.
Nate laughed. “I thought you went to rehab.” Becky shot him a doubtful look.
“Yes, three years ago.” Nate laughed again, and took back his joint.
“Hey, do you miss Blair?” Becky asked, looking up at him.
Nate shrugged. “Not really. We broke up, I’m over it.”
“Right,” Becky said sarcastically, leaning up against the wall beside him, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets.
“I’m serious,” Nate insisted. “We just, didn’t work out. Plus, there’s someone… else.”
Becky raised her eyebrows at him suggestively, flipping her hair back and batting her eyelashes. Nate laughed. Becky leaned in close, breathing in the marijuana fumes radiating off of him.
“I know you want me, Nate Archibald,” she said seductively, her voice dropped to a whisper. “You don’t have to deny it any longer.” She grabbed his collar, and pulled him into her so their faces were only inches apart. Becky’s breath was hot against Nate’s lips.
Quickly, Becky jerked to the side, and kissed Nate’s cheek. She laughed, and looked down at the sidewalk, before returning her gaze to Nate.
“But I owe it to Blair not to get involved with you, Nathaniel. And you must resist the lust you hold for me. Because I’m not that type of girl, Nate.” She searched his eyes, and then slapped the side of his face where she had kissed him. “So get your mind out of the gutter, Nathaniel! You will never be with me!” Becky huffed, and stormed off down the street. Nate watched her for a moment, and then realized that other people on the sidewalk were staring.
“What the hell, Becky?” he called after her, laughing. She just turned around briefly, winked, and kept on strutting away from him. All Nate could do was stand there, with by passers still watching him, and wonder if Becky Summers was slightly insane.

Chapter 49

2008-05-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

Chapter 49

Beep! Beep! Beep!
Blair woke up suddenly, and sat up so quickly she got a head rush. Which, shocker, didn’t go so well with the hangover.
She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. 9 am. Blair gasped, and stumbled out of bed. She ran to the bathroom, but stopped when she got to the doorway. She had forgotten.
She was in Chuck’s suite. And all of her beauty products were at the penthouse. Blair sighed and trudged back to bed. She sat down on the soft mattress, and leaned back. She fell onto Chuck’s stomach.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. He smiled, and stroked her hair. She turned to look up at him, a smile lingering on her lips.
“We’re late for school,” she informed him.
“Screw school,” he said simply, still stroking her hair. Blair let out a silent laugh, and crawled up to him. She reached up, and kissed him.
Blair smelled wonderful. Chuck couldn’t place the scent, but he knew he liked it. Her chestnut curls were all over the place, but it was the kind of messy that looked perfect. Mascara was lightly smudged around her eyes, and her red lipstick was faint. But her skin glowed, and her smile was radiant. He loved looking at her. And he knew it was ten times better than heaven. Blair Waldorf was a creature of beauty, and Chuck felt so honoured to have her. To be able to kiss her, and have her blush and smile and kiss back. To be able to slip off her dress because he knew she was just overwhelmed with lust.
“You know I love you, right?” he whispered, gazing into her deep brown eyes.
Blair smiled. “About time you said it,” she said softly, eyeing him playfully. He smiled back, his eyes showing the fascination he had for her.
“Feel free to say something back,” he said, gently reaching for her hand.
Blair let out a little laugh. “I love you, too,” she said, her perfect lips smiling up at him. She reached up, so there was barely an inch between them. Their foreheads touched, and they gazed into each other’s eyes. Chuck’s nose nudged hers, and she laughed. She tilted her head slightly, and kissed him. Chuck’s hands rested on the small of her back as he pulled her into him.
Blair felt like crying. It was her dream moment. She could hear faint music playing inside her head, making it like a fairy tale. She pulled away, ever so slightly, and said, “So, we’re not going to school, right?”
“Waldorf,” Chuck scolded gently.
B giggled. “Sorry,” she said, not being able to hold back her smile. Chuck reached for the phone on the nightstand. Pushing a button, he said into the phone, “Room service, please. A deluxe breakfast to the Bass suite. And bring a vase of two dozen roses while you’re at it.” He smiled at Blair. “Actually, make it three dozen. I have the most beautiful girl here with me, and she deserves the best you’ve got.”
He hung up, and looked at Blair. She laughed softly, and kissed him again.

“Where’s Blair?”
“I think you know where she is.” Becky winked. “Let’s see, who did she go home with last night?”
Serena laughed. “What a little sex kitten.”
“Naughty girl, it’s not even the weekend yet!” Becky rolled her eyes.
“Ugh. I know. What is society coming to?” The girls laughed as they headed into Constance’s main hall.
Is and Kati came up to them, their hands pressed to their foreheads. “Hey, do you guys know what happened last night?” Kati asked, sounding tired and hung over.
“Yeah, we can’t remember a thing,” Isabel added.
“As a matter of fact, you two spent the night with a couple of old businessmen. In from Chicago, I think. On business trips, and with the wives so far away, it’s the perfect time to get a bit of action from some wasted teens.” Becky’s answer was so calm, Is and Kati both stared at her.
“…How old are we talking here?” Kati asked slowly.
“Let’s just say, those guys are past retirement age. Way past.”
Is let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, right.”
Becky shrugged. “Believe what you want, but, you might want to get tested. I hear those rich old geezers get around.”
Becky and Serena walked off, leaving Is and Kati staring at each other, stunned.
Serena laughed. “You are so mean!”
“Oh, whatever,” Becky said dismissively, waving her hand. “They’ll get over it.” The girls stared at each other, and burst into laughter.
The bell sounded, and the girls walked into class. Chatting, they sat down at two empty seats. Mr. Gordon, their homeroom teacher, frowned as he scanned the room.
“Where is Miss Waldorf?” he asked.
Becky raised her hand to answer, but Serena clamped her hand over her friend’s mouth and laughed.
“She’s not feeling too well today, Mr. Gordon,” Serena replied. Then she looked at Becky with a scolding look, and removed her hand.
Becky looked offended. “What? I was going to say the same thing.”
Serena laughed again. “Yeah, right. I know for a fact you were going to blurt out something like Blair went off to have morning sex.”
Becky scoffed, but grinned. Serena rolled her eyes and smiled.
“You know I’m not big on lying,” Becky whispered, once class had started.
“Obviously,” Serena replied, light-heartedly.

Chapter 48

2008-05-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Chapter 48

Remember the Kiss on the Lips party, when Blair, Nate and the gang took Chuck’s limo over? Spilling drinks, smoking, laughing, having fun? Well, that Wednesday night was basically a repeat. Only slightly different.
Blair and Chuck were sitting on one end of the seat, with Nate as far away as possible from them. Is and Kati sat together, with Jenny on their right, next to Becky, who was next to Serena.
Champagne splashed onto seats, and smoke clouded the limo cabin. Laughter exploded inside the cramped space every five seconds. Even Jenny Humphrey was getting in the party mood after her second glass.
By the time the limo rounded the curb and pulled up at the Palace bar, all 8 of them were giddy from the alcohol. All the girls tripped on their way out of the cab. They were all pretty comfortable with each other, except for Nate, who was the outsider. But he just hung out with Jenny.
Serena, Becky, and Blair linked arms as they stumbled into the bar. It was pretty noisy inside already, so they weren’t noticed that much. Chuck escorted Is and Kati in, who were probably the drunkest of them all. He set them down at one end of the bar, and went over to the other girls while Jenny and Nate laughed over at their own table.
“Check it out,” Chuck said in Blair’s ear, his eyes on Jenny and Nate. “Someone’s moving in on your ex.”
“Oh my god, s***!” Blair laughed, and added drunkenly, “And I’m not talking about Jenny.” She erupted into laughter, and almost fell off her stool. Becky chuckled, and patted the seat next to her, indicating for Chuck to sit.
“So, miss California yet?” Chuck ordered a round of drinks for the girls.
“Are you kidding? Coming back here was the best thing I ever did!” Becky grinned at him, but then lowered her voice a bit. “You know, when I first arrived, I was actually kind of nervous. I was worried people would get pissed at me because I just waltzed back into their lives, and expected it to be the same as when we were fourteen. Especially with Blair, I mean, you know how she gets. But it’s been surprisingly good.” Becky thanked the bartender for her martini, and took a sip.
“Well, just be careful,” Chuck warned. “I don’t want you tearing up this place too much with your partying. We’ve all been pretty low-key lately.”
Becky scoffed. “Oh, come on! Seriously? Wow, this place really has turned you guys into uptight little snobs. I bet y’all are even all pure and abstinent.” Becky raised her eyebrows at Chuck, as if daring him to defend his goody-two-shoes friends.
Chuck took a deep breath. “I don’t know about that,” he said slowly. “I mean, it really depends who you’re talking about.” He glanced at Blair and Serena. “But I’m pretty sure Serena hasn’t been laid since she came back from Connecticut or whatever.”
“What do you mean?” Becky asked, frowning. Chuck frowned back.
“You mean she hasn’t told you?”
Becky shook her head and shrugged.
“Well, Serena left New York for six months to go to boarding school. Right after she slept with Nate.”
“What?”
Chuck almost laughed. He forgot that Becky hadn’t been around for the last couple years. Maybe a lot really had happened. “It’s not that big a deal, we’ve all put it in the past. She has a new boyfriend now, some stupid Humphrey kid. But he’s done her well. She’s definitely not who she used to be.” Chuck took a sip of his drink. “Although, I think you’re having quite an impact on her.” He recalled last night, taking both of them to their rooms.
“Oh, well, yeah, she failed to mention any of that.” Becky thought for a moment. “But I guess it’s not exactly something you brag about. Anyway, is there anything I should know about you? Did you go through any scandalous phases?” Becky raised her eyebrows again, challenging him to spill.
“Story of my life,” he said blatantly. “Before Blair, I was pretty…”
“Loose?” Becky laughed. “Oh, that’s okay. I expected as much.”
“I guess you could say I was a real disappointment to my father,” Chuck sighed. “Date rape could be thrown into the equation as well.”
At this Becky laughed even harder. “As if!” she scoffed. Chuck glanced at Jenny and gave Becky a weary look. She didn’t say anything, just stared down at her drink as she stirred it.
“So, you think you’ll get back in the dating game?” Chuck asked, changing the subject.
“Oh, I had some ideas, but you were already taken.” She winked at him and laughed. Chuck couldn’t help but wonder if this was slightly true.
“You know, you look really good,” he said, eyeing her purple satin dress. Low-cut. Short skirt. Tight as hell.
Becky sighed. “I know,” she said, her voice sounding concerned. She grinned. “But it’s hard to find a guy who likes me for me, and not just for my amazing sexy-ness.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” Chuck finished his drink, and the bartender instantly fetched him another.
Suddenly, the light, faint music that had been playing in the bar changed drastically, to what Chuck could only identify as… Britney Spears.
“‘Gimme More’!” Becky screeched, and flung off her chair. She grabbed Serena’s hand, spilling the drink she was holding, and ran over to the long table on the other side of the bar. She climbed up on it, and pulled Serena up with her. The two began dancing, next to each other, with each other. The crowds of people began cheering them on. Serena and Becky sang along, their voices horribly off-key, but probably on purpose. They were laughing and stumbling and flipping their hair and dresses all around in a crazed frenzy.
Blair slid over to Chuck, and he picked her up and put her on his lap. His hands slid around her waist to keep her there.
“You know what that reminds me of?” he asked, watching the girls.
“Don’t say it,” Blair said dully.
“Victrola.”
Blair looked at him, a tired expression on her face.
“You. Dancing. Being all amazing and stunning and sexy.”
A slow smile slid across Blair’s lips.
“And without. Even. Trying.” With every word, Chuck leaned closer to her. When his lips finally met hers, Blair’s hands slipped around his neck. She felt totally at peace. The music began to fade away, getting more and more distant, as Blair held onto him. She felt such desire right then, such desire for Chuck to just slide his hands up and take off her dress, to kiss her and caress her and mumble sexy words as his hands explored her body. She just wanted it to be the two of them, alone, with nothing but each other, like that one night in the limo. The one night that changed B’s life forever.
But while Blair was running fantasies through her head, and Chuck was relishing in just being able to hold her and kiss her and love her, some eyes had landed upon them.
Nate couldn’t keep turning back to them, watching them. He wanted to punch Chuck, and pull Blair away, screaming that he loved her. But he didn’t. He just couldn’t bear watching his ex-girlfriend and his ex-best friend together. Even if he didn’t give a s*** about either one of them. All his anger was gone, but a sad loneliness still filled his heart. He turned back to Serena and Becky, watching every move Serena made. She was the one he wanted. She had always been the one. But then his mind drifted over to Vanessa.
Becky was laughing and dancing and singing and having fun, watching the people below her cheer her on. But her eyes kept darting away from the crowd, over across the bar to where two people were sitting on a bar stool, making out. Jealousy and longing stung at her heart. She kept dancing, but her thoughts floated away. It was so surreal; it was like her soul was out of her body. She remembered old memories from their early teen years, memories that stabbed at her heart while she continued to watch Chuck and Blair.
Chuck and Blair.
And Becky, up on a bar table, dancing the evening away, feeling alone, because she was. Drinking and partying to keep her mind off her happiness, off the sadness hidden deep in her heart. Off the love she knew she never had, but had always needed.
Becky Summers was lost, and vulnerable, and alone. And the only thing she could do about it was keep dancing, keep on dancing her woes away.

Chapter 47

2008-05-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

Chapter 47

“Hey Dan!” Vanessa slammed the Humphrey loft front door shut as she skipped into the apartment. Dan was sitting at the island in the kitchen, reading a magazine. His head turned, but his face stayed blank. Great.
“Whatcha doin’?” Vanessa was very cheerful.
“…Reading,” Dan said slowly.
“Fun, fun.” Vanessa came over and wrapped her arms around Dan’s neck. She kissed his cheek and pressed herself into him. “I hope you missed me today,” she said in a low voice, “because I missed you.”
She twirled around and fell into him, planting her lips on his. Dan immediately tensed up and threw her off.
“What the hell are you doing?” he said, his voice high.
“Dan, why are you freaking out?” Vanessa asked, pushing herself up off the floor. “I’m your girlfriend.” She pouted at him and slowly came towards him. Dan held up his hands to keep her off.
“Not anymore,” he said coldly. “I know all about your little plan to break up me and Serena. And I just thought you’d want to know that I never want to see, or talk to you, ever again.”
Dan got up, snatched Vanessa’s coat off the hanger, and tossed it at her. He held open the door, and gestured for her to get out. Vanessa’s mouth dropped open in surprise. She let out a little gasp, but then briskly walked out of the apartment.
She looked back once, to cast a look of death at Dan, who really didn’t notice, because he had already started texting Serena.

“Hey guys!”
Serena, Blair, and Jenny all turned as Becky came running after them. Serena and Jenny smiled.
“Does this school suck, or what? God, I forgot how crappy Constance was.” Becky laughed as she stuffed four textbooks into her bag. “Mrs. Nyles gave me so much work, it’s not even funny. Good thing we’re all having drinks tonight, so I can just forget about all this loser school stuff.” Becky rolled her eyes at the thought of schoolwork. It definitely wasn’t her thing.
“Um, drinks?” Blair and Serena both glanced at Jenny.
Becky looked at them expectantly. “Well, yeah. I mean, we have to carry out tradition, right? After all, what are Wednesday nights without a few martinis?”
The girls just glanced at each other. Serena shrugged.
“Anyway, the whole gang is coming. Is, Kati, Chuck, Nate… everybody. The Palace Bar at 8. See you there!” Becky winked at her friends and ran off.
Blair sighed. “So, plan?”
“I, guess we’re going…” Serena said nervously. Jenny looked a little worried too.
“Don’t worry, J, we’ll dress you up. Plus, if you’re with us, no one will care if you look pre-teen.” Blair smirked.
“Um, thanks,” was all Jenny could say. “Uh, I gotta go, though. I have after-school tutoring.” Jenny waved at B and S, and headed back into one of the school buildings.
“Looks like it’s just you and me, BumbleBee,” Serena said, swinging her arm over Blair’s shoulder. “Hey, let’s go see a movie.”
“Sure, but, which one? There aren’t many good ones out.” Blair swung her bag over one shoulder.
“We’ll just go and see an R rated one,” Serena whispered, grinning. And, lowering her voice even more, she added, “And not the violent kind.” She grabbed Blair’s hand, and started running down the street. Blair tagged along, laughing.

It looks like certain influences have S resorting back to her old self. Watch out, world. When Becky’s on the prowl, she has every girl turning naughty. Let’s just hope her ways don’t go to our youth; namely, Little J. She has it hard enough trying to impress B. Oh, what we are doing to the future. Oh, well. Fun’s all that matters, right? Xo, xo.

Vanessa burst through the Archibald’s front door. Luckily, Nate’s parents weren’t home. “Nate!” she screeched.
Nate came running down the stairs from his room. “What?” he said, obviously annoyed.
“Dan knows. Serena knows. The whole world knows! And it’s all your fault, you stupid, stupid loser!” Vanessa slapped his arm with each word.
“Ow! What the hell?!” Nate slapped her hand away.
Vanessa took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “They know about our plan. Dan dumped me after school. Which means he’s back with Serena. Which means you can’t have Serena!”
Nate stared at her. “You know what? Serena’s too goody-goody for me. I need a girl with fire. Someone who’s thrilling and mysterious and fierce. I need you, Vanessa.”
Before V could say anything, Nate grabbed her, pulled her into him, and kissed her. After a moment, Vanessa quickly pushed away.
“What are you doing?” she said breathlessly. But without another thought, she threw herself back at Nate, gripping his collar and pulling him down to her. Her lips pressed his with such violence that it took Nate aback. But he loved the thrill, and gripped her even tighter.

Don’t you just hate lame hook-ups? Disgusting, I know. If you’re not on the A-List, you don’t deserve a boyfriend. Simple as that. So what the hell, V? How did you, a mean little Brooklyn girl, win the #1 bachelor of our fabulous society? Conspiracy, much? Gag me.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Chapter 46 -Part 2

2008-05-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

Chapter 46
Part 2

“Sorry I’m late,” Becky said as she slipped into the chair across from Chuck. They had chosen a cute little café not far from school. “But what is a girl without her girlfriends?”
“A loser,” Chuck answered simply, stirring what seemed to be a glass of scotch.
Becky laughed. “Where the hell did you get that?”
“Around,” Chuck said mysteriously, looking up into her eyes.
“You know, you shouldn’t be drinking in the morning. It’s not very healthy.”
“Says the girl that got wasted right before her English Lit final exam at 8 in the morning.”
“Touché.” Becky ordered a latte, and raised her eyebrows at Chuck. “So, what’s new? What’s happened in these last 3 years I had to bear life without my Chucklekins?”
“Not much. And you know how much I hate being called that.” Chuck looked at her darkly.
“PMS much?” Becky said, raising her hands in the air. “But anyway, I hear a lot has happened. I heard you and Blair are an item.”
“Yes, she likes to show me off. The one girl that could finally get me grounded.”
Becky leaned across the table, her arms folded in front of her. “Oh, I’m sure she’s not the only girl,” she said in a lowered voice.
Chuck looked up at her and let out a tiny sigh. He took a sip of his drink without a word.
“Well, anyways, how’s that going for you?” Becky picked up her latte, which had just arrived, and spooned some of the whipped cream into her mouth with the wooden stir stick.
“Surprisingly well,” Chuck answered. “I mean, I was a real mess without her, I hate to admit. At least, I was all over the place. Never a real girlfriend, just tons and tons of flings.” C took another careless sip of his scotch.
“You know, everybody’s a big drinker these days,” Becky said thoughtfully, watching as Chuck set his glass down on the table.
“That’s because when you left, you stopped stealing all our drinks, so we had a chance to try it.”
Becky shrugged.
“But, how are you doing? How did you spend the last three years?”
“Oh, you know, the usual. Just living the Hollywood life. Photo shoot on Monday, drinks with Zac Efron on Tuesday, walk the red carpet on Wednesday, party with Ashlee on Thursday, win some award on Friday. Nothing special.” Becky smiled playfully.
“I’ll bet.” Chuck gave her a half-smile. “But seriously.”
“Seriously? Well, lots of photo shoots, that’s true. A few hit karaoke performances, if I do say so myself. Just, picking up tidbits of fame here and there. Nothing big.” She paused when the waitress walked by. “Hi, yeah, a chocolate chip muffin, please? I’m on an all-calories diet. Too many eating disorders over on the West End, huh?” She winked at the waitress, who looked slightly uncomfortable. She nodded slowly, and then walked off. Chuck laughed a little.
“Well, any personal life stories that are interesting enough to tell?”
“Hmm, not really. I did sleep with the entire cast of Frat Boyz, though. Some cheesy Broadway show, but man, those guys were hot. And then you come back to NYC and realize what complete stunnas you left behind.” Becky grinned.
“Yeah, I’m not a big fan of the New York guys, either. That’s why I just stuck to the exotic dancers.”
“Strippers.”
“What?”
“Just say ‘strippers’, Chuck, god. No need to be politically correct.”
“I don’t think exotic dancers counts as—”
“Oh, shut up, Bass! What happened to you? You used to be fun!”
“Yes. And then I started dating Blair.”
Becky laughed. “There we go. Bash the girlfriend.”
“Oh, like you and her are friends anyway.” Chuck rolled his eyes.
“We are! She’s just, very, Blair.”
“I know what you mean,” Chuck sighed. He took a swig of his drink.
“Well, anyway, I better head off. I have to meet with the Constance advisors or something.” Becky stood up and picked up her bag.
“Hey, wanna do something tonight? Drinks, maybe? We could get the whole gang to come along.” Chuck raised his eyebrows at her hopefully.
Becky smiled. “Sure,” she said. She began to walk away, but then paused and turned back.
“One more thing, though.”
Chuck looked at her. “What?”
Becky grinned mischievously. “How do you feel about stealing Nate’s girlfriend?”
“Pretty good. Blair’s got one hot ***.”
Becky laughed. “Wow. Didn’t even have to think about that one.”
“Some might say I have no shame.”
“No one on the Upper East Side does, honey. It’s how it works. You’re just a lot more open about it.”
“You know, for a girl who’s spent the last 3 years on the other side of the country, you sure do seem to know your UES,” Chuck said, sounding slightly impressed.
“Well, I am the reigning queen.” Becky gave him her Hollywood smile.
“Blair might have something to say about that.”
“Screw Blair!” Becky reached for Chuck’s glass and downed the rest of the scotch. “I’m going all the way to the top, baby!”
Becky blew a little kiss in Chuck’s direction as she walked through the door. “Good luck,” C mumbled to himself, shaking his head and laughing.

Chapter 46 -Part 1

2008-05-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

Chapter 46
Part 1

Wednesday morning, and Becky’s first day at Constance.
Blair watched enviously from across the courtyard as Becky strolled onto the campus, turning heads and capturing admirers with a single glance. The girls were staring, some darkly, some thrilled, and the guys were drooling. Only a few had the guts to ask Becky out at that very moment. But they just got a laugh, a kiss on the cheek, and a wave as Becky moved on to the rest of her crowd.
“Becky Summers, right?”
Blair turned, and saw that Jenny was standing next to her. B nodded bitterly.
“I’ve heard so much about her. Never met her, of course, since I was only eleven when she left. What’s her status?”
Blair looked surprised at Jenny’s audacity. She spoke to Blair as if she was one of her best friends, and that bothered her. Jenny had just a little too much confidence. Maybe Blair’s training was helping, but it sure made Little J even more annoying.
B, keeping her eyes on Becky, answered, “High. Higher than Nate on April 20th.” She turned to look at Jenny. “I need you to stay away from her. For your own good.”
Jenny cocked her head to one side, confused.
“She’s a wild one. The ultimate Upper East Side party girl. She disgraces us all with her alcoholic ways. Just, stay away. She’s like Serena, only more, Serena-ish. In a bad way.”
J nodded, even though her eyes were still cloudy with thought. Blair let out a long sigh, and turned back to face the courtyard. And that’s when she caught Becky’s eye.
Becky ran over, waving and smiling. Before Blair had a chance to say anything, Becks enveloped her in a hug. But Becky quickly let go, stepped back a bit, and took on a poised, serious attitude.
“Waldorf,” she said, her eyes narrowing.
“Summers,” Blair replied, because she just couldn’t help it.
Becky broke out into a grin, and hugged Blair once again. This time, despite her trying so hard not to like her old friend, B hugged back.
“This is Jenny Humphrey,” Blair told her, pushing Jenny towards Becky.
“Hi,” Jenny said shyly. Becky smiled and kissed both of J’s cheeks.
“Come on, girl, that’s how us wealthy ones do it,” she said laughing, as Jenny stood there, surprised.
Blair opened her mouth to blurt that Little J wasn’t exactly wealthy, but thought better of it.
And obviously Jenny wasn’t dying to admit the truth to Becky, either.
“I’ve missed you, Blair,” Becky said, turning slightly towards B. “You look… so much hotter than when you were fourteen.”
“Wish I could say the same for you, but you know me, honest as can be.” Blair smiled, even though she had mixed feelings for the first part of her statement.
“Honest, my a**!” Becky exclaimed, laughing. “Puh-lease, Blair, that’s a lie right there!”
Blair let out a little laugh. Becky tossed back her glossy hair as it shone in the morning sunlight.
“Anyway, I gotta go find Serena. We had a wild night.” Becky laughed, raising her eyebrows playfully. “See you later, b****.” Becky kissed Blair’s left cheek, and ran off, looking back and waving as she went.
“She seems pretty cool,” Jenny said finally, once Becky was out of view.
Blair sighed. “Yup.” And god, Blair had really hoped she wouldn’t be.

“Becky!”
Serena waved from the Steps as Becky walked by. Turning, Becks sauntered over to the bottom of the stairs.
“Come eat lunch with us,” Serena said, patting the empty spot beside her. Kati, Isabel, and Jenny all smiled at her. Even Blair managed an optimistic expression.
“Sorry girls, I’ve got a hot date.” Becky winked. “And please, no jokes like ‘Really? Who the hell would ask out an ugly piece of s*** like you?’, because I know you’re all just super jealous.” Becky flipped her hair back and gave the girls a Hollywood smile.
“Well, then, who’s this ‘hot date’ with?” Blair asked, raising her eyebrows.
Becky smiled evilly in response. “Girl, your boyfriend!”
Blair tensed up.
“Nate is sexy and taken. My kind of man.” Becky winked again.
This time Blair snorted a laugh. “Oh, please, Nate and I broke up a long time ago.”
For the first time since she had arrived back in NYC, Becky frowned. Her brow creased in confusion.
“I finally realized what a little wh0re he was, so I gave him the old heave ho.” Blair smiled at her terribly cliché saying.
“Oh,” Becky said. “Well, then, who are you dating?”
Blair opened her mouth, but Kati blurted it out before she even had a chance.
“Chuck Bass! Can you believe it?”
At this, Becky’s face turned blank. Her lips pouted out, Angelina style.
“Chuck… Bass?”
Blair flushed. Becky attained her poised attitude once again. “Good for you,” she said, smiling at Blair.
Blair smiled back nervously.
“Well, anyway, I gotta go.” Becky waved, and headed off.
“Are you seriously meeting Nate?” Blair called after her.
Becky turned back and scoffed. “Please. I don’t date wh0res. Why do you think I never asked you out?” Becks grinned devilishly and blew Blair a kiss.
Blair smiled to herself as Becky walked off down the sidewalk. She had missed the striking contrast that was Becky Summers to the reserved, stuck-up Manhattan kids she usually surrounded herself with. And although Blair had once tried so hard to remove the memory of Becky from her life, she knew she couldn’t help but grow into loving her once more.

Chapter 45

2008-05-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

Chapter 45

Spotted: S and Becks, drunk as hell, stepping out of a cab onto the street outside the Palace. Do I sense a little too much celebrating the old days? Just think, if that was a typical 9th grade Serena and Becky, what wild shenanigans will the 11th grade hold? These girls are all grown up and ready to party. So grab a drink and join in on the fun, because all Upper East Siders have to let their stuck-up hair down once in a while.

“Wild, hey?” Serena slurred, giggling as she used Becky for support.
“Yeah, the second bottle really did it.” Both girls stared at each other for a moment, and then burst into laughter.
“Holy crap,” Serena said suddenly, raising her hand to her forehead. “I think the hangover’s started already.” More giggles. “Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this drunk.”
“Oh, come on, Serena! This was nothing! Live a little!” Becky stumbled towards the elevator as an irritated-looking man held the door open for them. As the two stepped in, Becky leaned towards Serena and whispered, “This is just the beginning. We’re gonna tear up this town and show those snobs a good time.”
Serena laughed her drunken laugh, although there was something slightly not right about what Becky just said. Maybe she didn’t know Serena wasn’t a party girl anymore. But maybe having a little fun wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
When they reached their floor, they stumbled out, all giggles and swaying and slurring. Suddenly, someone turned the corner.
“Ch…uck!” Serena shrieked. She held out her arm to him, grinning.
Chuck sighed, and walked slowly towards them. Normally, a wasted Serena would have made for a perfect night. But this time she just annoyed him.
Plus, Serena was nothing to look at when she was standing next to… Becky Summers. All flowing hair and tiny skirt and designer heels and perfect, beautiful face. God, Chuck missed that face. Her ice-blue eyes, perfectly blushed cheekbones, and plump, light pink lips. She still amazed him, even today. Even at that moment, when she was a drooling, giggling, ecstatically happy mess.
Chuck’s expression softened. When he reached them, he stepped in between them, with his right arm around Serena’s waist, and his left around Becky’s.
She leaned into him, taking in his strongly male scent. “Chuckles,” she muttered, as her head dropped onto his shoulder.
He sighed. Never did he think that the first night Becky was back, he would spend it carrying both her and Serena van der Woodsen to their suites, both girls completely wasted. Although he should have expected it.
Chuck reached Serena’s room, and escorted her inside. He lay her on the couch, and said quietly, “Call me in the morning. If you remember.” Serena nodded and closed her eyes.
When he left the suite, Becky was sitting up against the wall just outside Serena’s door. “Come on,” Chuck said, offering her his hand. She lazily took it, and he pulled her up. Becky stumbled, and almost fell. Chuck took her waist, and lifted up her legs into a carrying position. She put her hands around his neck and pressed her face into his chest. Becky started mumbling something, but Chuck couldn’t tell what she was saying.
Becky’s suite was only around the corner. Chuck opened the door, and walked inside. He lowered her gently onto the large bed in the middle of the room. But just as he was about to stand up and leave, Becky pulled him down by his collar.
“Stay with me,” she whispered, her eyes closed.
“I can’t,” Chuck whispered back, gazing at her peaceful-looking face.
“Please.” Becky’s voice seemed distant, as if she was talking in her sleep.
Chuck couldn’t help but wonder if she was.
“Not tonight,” he said back softly. He kissed her forehead, and stood up.
Walking slowly over to a notepad and pen on the coffee table, he scribbled her a note:

Becky-
Call me when you wake up. We should have lunch.
-Chuck

Sighing once again, Chuck headed for the door. He looked back once, at Becky lying silently on the bed. It wasn’t how he wanted to greet her after not seeing her for 3 years, but it was too late now. All he could do was wait until she was sober, and they could finally talk.

Chapter 44

2008-05-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Chapter 44

“Serena!”
Becky ran across the airport terminal hallway to where Serena was standing, waiting. Serena turned around at the sound of her name, and smiled.
“Hey!” she said as she reached out to hug her old friend. She squeezed Becky tight, taking in the familiar scent. Vanilla and brown sugar. On anyone else, the fragrance would have been intoxicatingly sweet, but on Becky, it smelled just right.
“How are you? You look fantastic!” Becky pulled away to look her friend over. Serena was exactly how she had expected; the bubbly, gorgeous blonde with the legs to die for that she had always been.
Serena blushed. “You too,” she said, smiling. Becky was exactly like her younger self too, only even more mature, elegant, and beautiful, which was pretty hard to achieve considering how perfect Becky always was.
Thick, golden-brown hair cascaded down Becky’s shoulders onto a tight, powder-blue tank top. She was also adorned in a little denim mini-skirt, which displayed long, tanned legs. A gold Louis Vuitton purse swung from her shoulder, matching her ballet flats.
Becky smiled shyly, and did a little twirl. “What do you think?” she asked. “Too California? Not enough, glamour, and New York, and Audrey Hepburn?” With each word, she stuck her nose up in the air and spoke with a snobby accent. Serena laughed. She had missed Becky and her ability to make fun of their socialite classmates who thought they were all that.
“Blair will love you,” Serena said, still laughing. “And no, you look perfect. No need to worry. Although the weather’s not exactly West Coast beautiful.”
Serena smiled sweetly and handed Becky the suede jacket she had been carrying. Becky smiled back in gratitude.
“Hey, gimme a break. I haven’t been to New York in 3 years.” Becky laughed.
Serena wondered if Becky knew about her own leave.
“Come on, Becks. You’re staying at the Palace, in a suite pretty close to mine.”
“Sweet.” Becky grinned as she picked up one of her huge Louis Vuitton suitcases. Becky was crazy for the huge brands, LV being her favourite.
Serena picked up the other suitcase, and together they headed outside for their taxi.
“I missed you, Becks,” Serena said as she hopped into the cab after her friend.
“I missed you, too, S.”
“And we are going to have a spanking good time here in NYC!”
“Spanking indeed,” Becky said, slapping Serena’s thigh.
S laughed, and wrapped her arm around Becky’s shoulder.
“Wow, I could really use some champagne right now,” Becky said, laughing. “You know, toast to old times.”
“You know what?” Serena said playfully. “That can be arranged.” Smiling devilishly, she pulled a bottle of champagne out of her bag.
“What the hell, Serena?” Becky exclaimed, laughing even harder. “Who carries bottles of alcohol around in their purse?”
“Fabulous people,” Serena replied, beaming.
“But… we have no glasses.” Becky glanced around the taxi. Luckily, there was a glass wall separating them from the driver.
“Honey, we’ll drink it straight from the bottle.”
“Like old times,” Becky said thoughtfully.
Serena winked. “Exactly.”

Chapter 43

2008-05-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

Chapter 43

Remember that one ordinary day in the Upper East Side when SVDW graced us with her presence after a mysterious 6-month leave? Epic, right? The day that changed all our lives forever. The day that made GossipGirl.net the most must-have site to save to your Favourites. The day the drama really started.
Well, besides a few dates, a couple hook-ups, and a whole lot of sex, it’s been pretty quiet lately. B and S are BFFs, C’s finally settled down and stopped strip-joint-hopping, N’s realized he’s dark and twisted and needs help, Lonely Boy’s found his soul mate, and Little J’s in tight with the It Girl and Queen Bee.
So when will the UES stop playing a safe game and get some scandal, you ask? Right about now.
And this time, it all starts with a little plane from LA. A little plane, holding a lot more secrets, and a lot more girl, than ever imaginable. It’s the return of Becky Summers, and it’s going to be fabulous.
And you thought Serena was epic.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

“Becky Summers?”
“I told you it was important!”
Chuck rolled his eyes as Blair clutched his phone, her eyes wide with shock.
“Chuck! I can’t believe you would rather play embarrassing games than tell me something that I needed to know!”
“That’s what you get for being friends with Jenny Humpy.”
B scoffed. She felt sick. Becky Summers. The only girl who could ever have the poise, the sophistication, the smarts and elegance and glamour, to show up Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen. God, Blair hated that girl.
“You make my life impossible,” she sighed.
“More like worthwhile,” Chuck said, and gently kissed her neck. B shoved him off.
“Do you realize what this means? This is Serena’s Return all over again, except this time it’s Becky, who is like, Serena times one hundred. She’s unbelievable.”
Chuck opened his mouth to say something, but Blair quickly put her hand in front of his face to prevent any dirty remarks.
“Don’t even,” she hissed, narrowing her eyes. She was well aware that Becky was just as gorgeous as Serena van der Woodsen, or maybe even more. Blair hadn’t seen her since 9th grade, but if she looked hot then, wow…
Blair couldn’t even think about how perfect Becky was going to look. It just made her stomach lurch.
“All I was going to say was that you would kick her skanky *** at being unbelievable,” Chuck insisted.
“Right.” B’s voice was laced with sarcasm.
“Anyway, what are you going to do about her? Pull an ole’ ditch and b**** like with van der Woodsen?”
Blair sighed again. She didn’t know what she was going to do. She didn’t even have a valid reason to hate Becky. It was different from Serena’s case; Becks had gone off to California to get rich and famous. Or, well, at least famous, because she was your typically spoiled kid socialite.
But Blair didn’t want anyone disturbing the peace, even if it was a little dull. She couldn’t have another tragedy, like the one just a few months before. She couldn’t have anyone stealing her world. The Upper East Side belonged to her.
So all B could do was hope that Becky came back with platinum blonde hair and hideously dark roots, some out-of-style shoes, and a bad case of STDs.
Yeah, right.

Chapter 42

2008-05-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

Chapter 42

“So he really gave you that doll?”
“I know! I couldn’t believe it, either. But yeah, it wasn’t even a joke.”
Jenny laughed. She and Blair were sitting up in B’s room, where they were choosing a dress Jenny could borrow for her date with Oliver. He had called a couple days ago, and J really needed a new outfit. Right then, Blair’s selections were between a silver sequin mini-dress, and a cream-colored scoop neck dress with an elegant, bell-shaped skirt.
Now, while taking a break from their serious decisions, they were discussing the latest addition to Blair’s wardrobe chest; the Cabbage Patch Doll Chuck had bought her.
“I know, right? Has he no shame?” Blair said, laughing. She fingered the diamond necklace resting above her tight cashmere sweater. Anyone who was a fan of ‘Chair’ would have recognized it.
Jenny giggled. She loved being friends with Blair. Plus, now that the whole scandal with her and Chuck was out in the open, B didn’t mind discussing it.
“So, how is Chuck? I still can’t believe he actually has a girlfriend now. Let alone that it would be you of all people, Blair.”
Blair instantly tensed up at the word girlfriend. She hadn’t really thought that much about her ‘relationship’ with Chuck, and hearing that people perceived them as boyfriend and girlfriend felt weird. She really didn’t know what they were. But it kind of scared her, seeing Jenny talk like that. Although Blair imagined everyone else did, too.
“Um, he’s okay…” she said finally. “Going a little insane, though, I think. There’s no way a normal person could think of such a profound thing as to get his…” she paused, nervous. “…girlfriend, a custom-made Cabbage Patch.”
“Yeah, well, Chuck Bass has never been normal.”
Jenny laughed. But when she realized Blair didn’t, she stopped. Feeling anxious, she reached for her virgin martini.
Blair gave her a little smile, a brief one, just to reassure her. She needed more time to think about the whole ‘boyfriend/girlfriend’ thing.
Suddenly, Blair’s bedroom door swung open, and Chuck waltzed in.
“Blair, I have to show you something—”
It took Chuck a second to notice Jenny, who was sitting on the edge of B’s king-size bed. He glanced at her, then turned back to Blair.
“I… I have something important I need to show you,” he said.
“Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Jenny,” Blair said absently, picking at her freshly-manicured nails.
Chuck heaved a sigh. He hated being controlled, but Blair was slightly an exception. “Fine.”
“Whipped,” Jenny said under her breath, a mocking smile sliding across her lips as she looked at Chuck.
He glared at her, a dark, evil glare, as if reminding her of who he was. The smile vanished from Jenny’s face, and she looked down at her lap. She bit her thumbnail nervously, sliding her gaze to Blair.
“Go on. What do you want?” Blair stared at Chuck expectantly. She hated talking to him when someone else was in the room, clearly noting every action. B’s stomach hurt from the unwritten pressure of being judged by little Jenny. But she wouldn’t back down, even if she did have a soft spot for Chuck. She couldn’t let Jenny see her being vulnerable and not in control, especially if Chuck Bass was the one controlling. It would prove that nobody could stand up to him, even the all-mighty Blair Waldorf.
Still looking at Chuck, Blair slid her eyes quickly over to Jenny, and then back at him, as if to tell him not to embarrass her. Or else.
It didn’t take long for Chuck to interpret her expression. His lips twisted up into a half-smile, a mischievous one. Blair held her breath.
“I want you, Blair,” he said finally, his smile not far from being a sneer. He may have given in a little bit, but nothing and no one could ever stop him from being himself. “Oh, I want you so bad. And I love it when you get up on the bed and strip, just for me, like you did that one special night. Every day my lust for you can only be contained by our little quickies. But Blair Waldorf, you’re so satisfyingly hot, I’ll never need anyone else to fill my fantasies and desires. You aren’t worthy of heaven, baby, because you’re just so naughty.”
B glared at him, knowing he was aware that everything he said, Jenny was obviously hearing. But still, her stomach heaved as she tried to keep in the laughter. His words, although so embarrassing, were more hilarious than Chuckles the Doll. And, in fact, they even had a little bit of cheesy appeal that even Blair’s heart couldn’t deny, made her happy.
But all of that aside, he had just extremely embarrassed her in front of her number one fan. So no matter how turned on by Chuck’s speech she was, Blair knew she was definitely not putting out until he made up for being so evil.
Suddenly, Chuck whipped across the room, and tackled her. He flung her down onto the bed, smothering her with his body. His hands raced up her legs, all the while kissing her, date-rape style. Blair gasped for breath as his lips traveled down her neck, and stopped to kiss her chest, right above her low-cut sweater.
B shoved him off with such force that Chuck tumbled off the bed and landed on the floor. Panting, he glanced at Jenny, who was sitting at the other end of the bed, looking extremely uncomfortable. She kept sending quick glances in Blair’s direction, and when she caught Chuck’s eye, she hastily turned away, nervous and embarrassed by her presence.
Chuck crawled over to the bed, climbed on, and leaned towards Blair, who was pushing herself up from her lying position. He leaned towards her ear and said, not too quietly, “We’ll finish this up later.” His voice was husky and his breath was hot.
B just glared at him, still catching her own breath. She looked at Jenny, who was now intensely examining her fingers.
Chuck gave Blair one of his infamous smiles, then stood up to leave. When he reached the door, he turned to look back.
“Nice seeing you, Jenny,” he said, as if the last twenty seconds hadn’t happened. Then, giving B one final smirk, he left the room.
Blair sat up, racking her brain of things to say to Jenny. But luckily, she didn’t have to.
Jenny stood now, and walked over to Blair’s closet, still feeling nervous. “So,” she said, holding up their two dress selections, “um, silver, or white?”
Blair just gave a small huff.

Chapter 41 -Part 2

2008-04-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

Chapter 41
Part 2

Knock, knock, knock.
“Coming!” Serena yelled from the bathroom, quickly spreading light pink lip gloss onto her lips and fixing her already-perfect blonde hair. She rushed out of the room, and into the foyer. Inhaling a deep breath, she reached for the doorknob, and pulled the door open.
At the sight of her, Dan stopped breathing. He stared at Serena, with the very same feeling as when he had spotted her standing in Grand Central, in what felt like so long ago.
She was like an angel, all gorgeous and earthy, with that look of hardly trying to look good, but still being stunning. Serena didn’t have to try. Because no matter what, she always looked irresistibly perfect.
Her golden hair was in loose curls, falling down past her sun-kissed shoulders. A coral pink silk tank top garnished her torso, flowing down so perfectly, it was if it was made specially for her. Tight, dark, True Religion jeans covered her long, slim legs, and silver nail polish coated her toenails, which were displayed in light pink, two-inch strappy heels.
In as long as Dan had known Serena, and watched her before he even knew her, he had never felt so amazed. She had a glow about her that had never seemed as strong as it had at that moment.
Feeling awkward with Dan staring at her, a dazed expression on his face, Serena smiled shyly and nervously wrapped a lock of silky blonde hair around her finger.
Dan, finally realizing he must have looked like an idiot gawking at her like that, snapped out of it, and smiled a little.
“Hi,” he said finally.
“Hey,” Serena replied softly. Oh god, Dan thought. Even her voice is too wonderful to be real.
Dan felt so ecstatic from being in her presence that he forgot what he was there for. Stay on task, he reminded himself. I’m here to listen to why she cheated on me with Nate. To why she’s resorted to her old, party-girl ways. To why I deserve her after how horribly she treated me.
But still, the thoughts stayed faded at the back of his mind. All he could think about was how much he wished he could deserve a girl as beautiful as her. And he wondered, silently, why she looked so amazing right then. Maybe because, it was like seeing her for the first time. Only, this time around, she was only looking at him. It was like she was the one who needed to earn him back.
But whatever that reason was, the reason why Serena van der Woodsen left him more speechless than ever, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Dan knew that he wanted her, and it didn’t matter at all what she had done wrong, because he could never stay mad at her. No one could. Serena was just the kind of girl you always ended up loving, because she was so fantastic.
“Um, you look…” Dan was nervous. What could he say? He didn’t want to come off desperate. That would never impress the girl of his dreams. “…nice.” Shit. Dan regretted his stupid comment the second he said it.
“Thanks,” Serena said, smiling genuinely at him, as if he had said something that was truly non-idiotic. “Why don’t you come in?”
Dan flushed with relief. Slowly, he walked into the suite, closing the door behind him. Serena led him to one of the sofas near a huge bay window.
“Dan,” Serena said, once she had sat down next to him, “I really want to apologize.” She took his hand gently in hers. Dan’s heart was racing. “But you have to trust me when I say, I didn’t kiss Nate. That day at the park, he kissed me. But that picture on Gossip Girl, the one of me all over him, is not real. It was Photoshopped to look like it, though. Because, trust me, Dan, I would never hurt you like that. I care about you too much.”
Dan didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say.
“So, please, just trust me. I know you must think I’m such a ho, but really, I didn’t kiss him. I don’t have any feelings for Nate or anything. You’re the only one in my life, and you’re the only one that matters. ‘Cause, you make me smile. Thinking about you makes me smile. As long as I’m in your arms, nothing else matters. That’s how you make me feel. And, I hope you remotely feel the same way.”
Serena looked into Dan’s eyes. He could see the authenticity in her words.
“Serena,” Dan said, finally thinking of something to say, “it… it doesn’t matter. I mean, it doesn’t matter if you’re telling the truth, and you really didn’t kiss Nate, because I could never stay angry. And, of course, I believe you anyway, one hundred percent. But, you mean too much to me. There’s no way I could stay mad any longer.”
Serena’s eyes glistened. She looked like she might cry. There was sorrow, regret, and hope, all mixed into her expression.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t explain before, but I really didn’t know how to. I didn’t think you would believe me.” She lowered her head, and, pulling her hand from his, she looked at it, placed neatly on her lap.
This made Dan have a sudden burst of courage. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so inferior.
Gently, he lifted her chin to gaze into her eyes.
“I forgive you, no matter what you did,” he said quietly.
Serena sniffled, and wiped her eyes carefully with the tip of her finger. Her glossy bottom lip was trembling a bit, but she still managed a soft smile.
“I love you, Dan,” she said, stroking his hand carefully. “And I don’t ever want to lose you, because you mean so much to me.”
Dan smiled back, and pulled her in close to him. He held her in his arms, her head resting lightly on his chest.
She smelled wonderful. Like fresh, glistening lilies speckled with dew after a light spring rain. Dan knew it wasn’t any kind of perfume; it was just her natural, beautiful fragrance. And he cherished every bit of it.
“I love you too,” he whispered in her ear. She looked up at him, her gorgeous blue eyes still glossy with brimming tears.
Dan smiled, and touched her cheek gently. Serena slid up a little bit, Dan’s arms still around her, and kissed him. A soft, meaningful kiss that they would remember for the rest of their lives.
Because, for the first time, they both realized what true love was.

Chapter 41 -Part 1

2008-04-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Chapter 41
Part 1

As Dan stood at the corner outside of St. Jude’s, waiting for the bus, Vanessa strolled up to him. She slipped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Dan was surprised, but not exactly happy. He had other things on his mind.
“Hey,” Vanessa said, gazing into his deep brown eyes, her arms still fastened above his jacket collar.
“Hey,” Dan said back, rather distractedly, as he removed her hands.
Ignoring the obvious distance of his mind, Vanessa beamed up at him. “So, whatcha doin’?”
“Waiting… for the bus.” Dan glanced over her shoulder down the street, desperately looking for his transport out of there.
“Where’re you going? This isn’t the bus stop for home.” V looked confused.
“Just…” Dan racked his brain for an excuse. “Jenny asked me to go Sak’s. I have to pick up some shoes she ordered.”
Vanessa frowned and said, “Why can’t she do it herself?”
“Um, she has a major project due soon, and she’s trying to stay focused on it.” Dan wouldn’t look at her. It just made him feel sick.
V didn’t look any better herself. “Uh, okay,” she said finally. She too glanced down the street. She could feel the thick, cloudy tension surrounding them, even if it was a clear, breezy day.
“So, um, any plans for the weekend?” Vanessa asked, struggling with a topic he would be excited about. “I thought maybe we could hang out at my place. You know, alone. My sister’s gonna be away for the weekend, so the apartment will be empty.” She eyed him suggestively.
Dan stared at her blankly. “It’s Monday,” was all he said, quite flatly.
Vanessa blinked. “Well, I know, but I just thought we could plan ahead.” She tried to read his face, but the expression he was wearing said nothing. He turned from away from her, just as the bus came chugging down the road towards them.
Thank god, Dan thought, as the bus stopped in front of him. “See you later,” he said, his back still turned. He climbed the steps onto the bus, and the doors swung shut behind him.
Vanessa watched as the bus departed from the curb and drove away into the heart of the Upper East Side. Her eyebrows were raised sceptically, but no genius plan popped into her usually creative mind.

Spotted: Lonely Boy, ditching his Brooklyn sweetheart for a ride into the amazing territory of over-privileged teens, Prada bags, and underage drinking. Say, doesn’t that bus go to a certain hotel we all know and love? I’m thinking yes. And there’s one person who happens to reside at that certain hotel, who we really know and love. And apparently, Lonely Boy is just another member of her fan club. Watch out, Upper East Siders. This little Brooklyn boy knows what he wants, or at least, who he wants.

As Dan walked into the courtyard in front of the Palace, he caught someone’s eye. Chuck watched as Dan sauntered over to the front doors, where Chuck was conveniently standing, smoking a cigarette. He threw the butt on the ground and stomped it out as Dan got closer.
“Why, if it isn’t Humphrey Dumpty. I thought you were blacklisted from this place.” Chuck eyed him, and pulled another cigarette out of his pocket.
“Give it a rest, Chuck. I’m not here to see you.”
“Thank god. Because just seeing you makes my stomach lurch.” C played with the unlit cigarette with his fingers.
Dan ignored his comment and walked up the rest of the stairs. He opened one of the huge double doors, but paused right as he was about to walk in. He turned back to Chuck.
“Watch it with Blair,” he said, giving Chuck a dark and protective look.
“Excuse me?”
“Blair is Serena’s best friend, and I know what kind of person you are. So don’t do anything you’ll regret.” The seriousness in Dan’s voice surprised Chuck.
“Who are you to judge me?” he replied bitterly. “But anyway, why do you even care? You and Serena are over. She doesn’t need you anymore.” Chuck gave him an evil half-smile.
“How would you know? You and Serena are best friends now? Have you taken advantage of her, too? Who do you think you are, Nate Archibald?”
Dan stared into Chuck’s eyes. They were dark, and glowing with fury. Dan gave Chuck one last glance, and raised his eyebrows, before finally walking into the hotel and letting the heavy door close slowly behind him.
Chuck stared at the door, watching Dan’s faint silhouette inside. Finally, he leaned against the wall, and lit his cigarette.

Chapter 40

2008-04-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

Chapter 40

Blair walked along the lunch line. She picked up a low-fat lemon yogurt and placed it on her tray. She walked over to an empty table, and gracefully sat down. Serena had an appointment that afternoon, so she had left before lunch.
Peeling back the lid on her yogurt, Blair reached for a pack of artificial sweetener. She tore it open, dumped it into the pale yellow dairy product, and stirred it in.
Suddenly, out of the corner of Blair’s eye, she saw someone sit down across from her. She looked up.
“Blair, you don’t need to starve yourself just to look good for me. You’re skinny enough.” Chuck eyed her lunch, which consisted only of the lemon yogurt. He brought his hand up from under the table, and slapped a foot-long sub covered in plastic wrap down next to her. Turkey, with lettuce, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and margarine instead of mayo. Her favourite.
Blair hesitated. “Chuck, there’s only six months ‘till swimsuit season. And there’s nothing grosser than a flabby girl in a designer bikini. That just looks pathetic.” Blair put a spoonful of yogurt into her mouth.
“Fine,” Chuck said stubbornly. Blair noticed a large gift bag sitting on the chair beside him.
“What’s that?” she asked, tipping her chin in the direction of the bag.
“Just a little gift I bought you, in celebration of buying you that delicious, and rejected, sandwich.” Chuck lifted the bag onto the table. Reaching inside it, he pulled out a plush toy that vaguely resembled a Cabbage Patch Kid. And that was only because of the Cabbage Patch tag pinned to its arm.
“What the hell is that?” Blair said, forcing herself not to burst out laughing.
“It’s a custom-made Cabbage Patch Doll I had made specially for you,” Chuck replied, setting it down in front of him. “His name is Chuckles.”
Blair looked the strange doll up and down. It had shaggy, dark brown hair, and strong, sharp features. It was wearing a miniature version of the St. Jude’s uniform, but with a tiny black, red, and white scarf around its neck. It completely matched the scarf wrapped around Chuck’s own neck at that very moment.
“It’s… supposed to look like you?” Blair said slowly, twisting her lips upward, forming her curt little smile. She had to purse her lips shut just to keep from spilling out laughter.
“It’s to remind you of me.” Chuck raised his eyebrows, a suggestive smile playing on his lips.
“More like to scare me in the middle of the night. It looks like a transvestite.” The eyes and lips looked very feminine, but the eyebrows were thick and bushy. An interesting combination.
“You should really work on your jokes, Blair. They’re getting kind of crappy.”
“I think that’s just from hanging around with you too much,” Blair replied, a wide grin spreading across her face. “Really, awesome doll, Chuck.” Sarcasm soaked her words.
Chuck’s little smile vanished from his face. It was replaced by an offended scowl. “I go to the trouble of getting you something special, and you don’t like it at all.”
“Awe, of course I like it!” The grin was still quite evident on B’s face. It was too much. “It’s just… um, well, you know. Strange?”
“Whatever,” Chuck snapped, pushing his chair away from the table. “I’m going to get a fruit or something.”
Blair watched him go, laughing quietly. She picked up the doll and examined it closer. Her fingers played with the scarf a little, and she flipped over one of the ends. Embroidered on the back of the dangling scarf were tiny gold words. They read, You know you love me.
B stared at the words, sewn on with such precision and carefulness. Chuck suddenly sat back down at the table, startling her. She put ‘Chuckles’ down.
On Chuck’s plate was a huge fruit salad. Bananas, apples, mangos, peaches, pears, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapples, strawberries, oranges, and just about every other fruit.
Blair supposed ‘a fruit’ had a much exaggerated meaning.
“Has he grown on you yet?” Chuck asked, digging into his food.
“Um, not exactly. We’ll see, though.” B smiled at him. It was kind of cute. Well, not the actual doll, but the gesture. And that’s what mattered. “But, hey, I have to go. I have a social test next period, and I want to be super prepared.” Blair grabbed the doll, stuffed it in her pink Coach handbag, and stood up. She kissed C’s cheek, and headed towards the doors.
“Later, Waldorf,” Chuck called after her. He winked.
“You know you love me!” Blair called back, just before she swiftly exited the cafeteria.

Chapter 39

2008-03-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Chapter 39

“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to cause any trouble…”
Blair stood up, picked up her bag, and pulled Serena up with her.
“You’re too nice, S. This girl deserves what’s coming to her.”
“But… this is my battle,” Serena said slowly. “And plus, you’re kind of known for being ruthless.”
Blair pursed her glossy lips. “Fine. We won’t fight back. But if you lose Dan forever to that conniving hoe, it’s not my problem.”
Serena though for a moment, and then picked up her canvas bag, swinging it over her bare shoulder. “Let’s go,” she said, with a fierceness in her voice that Blair had never heard before.
“Good,” B said, pleased. “I was hoping you would give in. Time to put Operation SDBFVTB into action.”
“‘SDBFVTB’?” Serena asked, puzzled.
“Steal Dan Back From Vanessa The Bitch!” Blair rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Right,” Serena said, laughing.

Dan slipped his hands around Vanessa’s waist, pulling her in closer. Keeping her lips on his, Vanessa backed up into her room. Twirling around, she kicked her bedroom door closed and pushed Dan onto the bed. She climbed on top, sliding her hands across his chest. Thrusting her tongue into his mouth, she began unbuttoning his shirt.
Suddenly, Vanessa heard a loud banging on the front door of the apartment. Disappointment filled her stomach as she got up from the bed.
“Be right back,” she said, winking at Dan. He sighed quietly, watching V as she left the room.
Running to the front door, Vanessa swung it open. The shock on her face slowly morphed into an amused smile.
“Serena,” she said cheerfully. “What are you doing here?”
“I’d like to have a word with you,” Serena replied, glancing around the apartment. “I hope I didn’t come at a bad time.”
“Not at all,” Vanessa said, letting her in, a half-evil grin on her face.
Suddenly, Vanessa’s bedroom door opened, and Dan walked out, still buttoning up his shirt.
“Who was at the door?” he asked, finishing with the last button. Dan looked up, and froze when he saw who was standing next to Vanessa.
Serena felt her heart plummet. Obviously she had come at a terrible time. “Dan,” she said breathlessly, not knowing what else to say.
For a few seconds, Dan couldn’t tear his gaze from Serena. Seeing her stabbed his heart with pain, but he still missed her so much. Finally, Dan asked, his voice cold, “What is she doing here?”
The question was directed to Vanessa, but he was still staring at Serena.
“I don’t know,” V said, her voice chirpy. “Why are you here, Serena?”
S forgot all about her telling Vanessa off. She just wanted to run into Dan’s arms and hug him. If only there weren’t that heartbreaking expression on his face: pain, mixed with sorrow, mixed with hate.
“Dan, I—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Dan interrupted quickly. “Can you just leave?”
Serena studied his face. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Then, giving Dan one last pleading glance, she turned around and walked slowly to the door.
But just as her hand was ready to turn the doorknob, Serena realized the only way to get Dan back was to fight for him. Gripping the cold metal doorknob, Serena turned around. She let go, and walked up to Dan.
“Please,” she whispered, although her expression was no longer hurt and pleading. “I need you to listen to me. We need to talk. I promise, there’s a really interesting explanation, and it’s nothing like what you think. You just need to trust me.”
Vanessa stood next to the front door, leaning against the wall. She was amused by Serena’s pathetic attempts to win Dan back. And by the expression on his face, she could tell he wasn’t buying into Serena’s story.
Now it was Dan’s turn to study Serena’s face. Longing tugged at his heart. He really wanted to give her a chance. But just as soon as feelings of forgiveness had arrived in his mind, so had the photo from Gossip Girl’s site.
“How can I trust you?” he asked softly, quiet so Vanessa couldn’t hear. He just couldn’t seem to keep the coldness in his voice.
“My hotel suite, tomorrow afternoon, 3-ish. I’ll tell you everything,” she whispered, ignoring his question. In a lower voice, she said, “I know you don’t love Vanessa. I know you don’t because you love me.”
For a second, Dan was astounded by the conceited statement. But then, S added, “And I know you love me because I love you.”
Giving him her kindest smile, Serena turned around. Her face flashed back to a look of desperation as she trudged past Vanessa. V grinned maliciously as she closed the door behind her guest. She twirled back to Dan.
“So,” she said, sauntering towards him, “where were we?” She reached for the collar of Dan’s shirt, but he stopped her. He glanced at the clock on the wall, and then went to the door.
“I just remembered,” he said, putting on his coat, “I have to pick up Jenny from her pottery class. I am so sorry.” He kissed Vanessa’s cheek, and opened the door.
V pouted, but said, “Alright. Call me later?”
Dan nodded, and exited the apartment. As soon as the door was closed, he ran down the hallway and into the stairwell.
Rushing out into the blinding sunlight, Dan shielded his eyes and he scanned the sidewalk. On the other side of the street, he spotted Serena stepping into a cab. He plunged into the busy Brooklyn street, manoeuvring around cars as quickly as he could. But when he finally reached the other side, Serena’s taxi was already pulling away from the curb.
Dan sighed as he watched the taxi slip away into the traffic. He was too late.

Chapter 38

2008-03-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Chapter 38

Spotted: B and S, back together and better than ever. We hear Blair’s got a new grudge, and she’s willing to do anything to defend her BFF. Watch out Brooklyn: the It Girl and the Queen Bee are out for revenge. And the only thing pretty about it is their designer handbags.
Little J, everyone’s favourite underdog, shopping for a few new clothes. Did Oliver finally call? That boy may be cute, but calling him smart is definitely a sensitive subject. Let’s just hope he doesn’t get too crushed when J uses him as a social ladder to the Upper East Side.
C Bass, leaving the Waldorf penthouse. Thank goodness Eleanor wasn’t home; that would be more awkward than two socialites showing up at a party both wearing the same dress.
N, being a complete loner. Well, that’s what you get when you attack your best friend. No further comments on Nate’s now boring life.
And as for Lonely Boy, well, he has lost all relevance in our tale. Or has he? I’m sure the Darena flame won’t go out without a bang.

Vanessa sat at her computer, smiling. Seeing the picture of Serena and Nate on Gossip Girl’s site for the billionth time still spread a malicious grin across her face. And the comments posted by other users below the pic didn’t do anything to dampen her mood.
I always knew Serena was a sl*t! Poor Blair.
Ugh. How can Blair put up with her?
How can Blair put up with him?
Nate’s all to blame in my opinion. He always lusted after Serena.
They’re both to blame. They deserve each other.
This really isn’t that surprising. At least, not as surprising as the whole Chuck/Blair thing.
Maybe Nate was just trying to get revenge?
Maybe Nate’s just an a**.
Still, Serena’s such a bad friend.
Ugh, I know. Seriously, doesn’t she already have a boyfriend anyway?
Yeah, that Dan guy. Poor Dan. He should have known better.
Any girl but Serena. For a poor kid, he sure does seem nice.

Of course, Vanessa didn’t care about the Nate bashing. He was just the middleman of the whole operation. As long as he got that skanky Serena van der Woodsen away from her little Dan, that’s all she needed him for. Although, V was delightfully thrilled with all the judging coming down on Serena. She didn’t think people would have much of a reaction. Well, she thought, as long as no one suspects a thing, and I end up with Dan, that’s all that matters.

“What if this doesn’t work?”
Vanessa opened the front door and Nate strode in.
“What do you mean? Of course it will work. Now that Dan’s practically dumped Serena, everything’s in place. All I have to do is steal Dan’s attention, and Serena will be free for you.”
“I guess,” Nate said doubtfully. “But what if either of them catches on? Don’t you think Serena will notice the errors in that photo?”
“Nate,” Vanessa sighed, “come on, it’s Serena van der Woodsen. Wealthy donations and a team of private tutors are what keep her in school. Not to mention the blondie ‘do, not to be prejudiced. Plus, by the time anyone will get around to believing her, she will have fallen back off the social pedestal all the way to Skankville.”
Nate stared at her.
“No offence,” Vanessa added quickly. “She’s just, not right for Dan.”
“Well, Dan’s not the one who’s in love with her.”
“Not anymore,” Vanessa muttered under her breath.

Chapter 37

2008-03-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Chapter 37

Blair woke up, and sighed as she pulled the fleece blanket tighter about her body. Chuck was lying next to her on the soft carpet, still asleep. The events of the previous night ran through Blair’s head.
Chuck had held her there, upon the floor; just talking to her while she listened, curled up with him. He had explained about Nate, and explained that even though sometimes it didn’t seem like it, he really did care about her. But Blair really wasn’t all that interested in the words. She knew he meant it, without even needing to hear him talk. She could just feel the love when he embraced her. She could feel it with every breath he took; with every second that passed.
They hadn’t had sex. They had just been together. For the first time, Chuck was there for her, without the limo seats or diamond necklaces. He knew that all she wanted was him; and he gave her everything.
No perverted jokes, no sarcasm, just honest words and his hands gently rubbing her back. It was 100% the Soft Chuck, and Blair indulged in his sudden purity. Of course, he was no saint, but in that moment, Blair just wanted it to be perfect. And she would let no memories of Chuck’s past invade the soft thoughts drifting through her mind.
The buzzing of a vibrating cell phone pulled Blair from her deep thoughts. As she realized it was her own, she picked it up and pressed ‘talk’.
“Hello?” B said drowsily.
“Blair, I need to talk to you.”
Blair groaned. Serena. “What do you want, Serena?” she said coldly. “No, I don’t know where Nate is. Check your sheets, because I’m sure that’s where he was last night.”
Ignoring B’s remark, Serena said, “Please, Blair, just come have lunch with me. I can explain everything. Please.”
B sighed. She was in too good a mood today to be mean. “Fine. But I can’t stay long; I have plans.”
“The Paradise Café in half an hour?” Serena suggested.
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” B could hear the sincere gratitude in Serena’s voice.
The line clicked dead, and Blair set down her phone. Giving Chuck one last glance, she got up.
In the bathroom, Blair assessed how she looked. Her eye makeup was smudged and her curly chestnut locks had more knots than Jenny Humphrey’s hair in the morning. She was still dressed in yesterday’s cream-white blouse and blood red pencil skirt. Failing at her attempt to smooth out the wrinkles in her clothing, fix her hair, and wipe off the eyeliner smudges, Blair decided to just take a shower instead.
Quickly stripping and tossing her clothes in the laundry basket in the corner, Blair stepped into the shower. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the hot water running down her bare body.
Wrapping an Egyptian cotton towel around her head, Blair stepped out of the bathroom. Chuck was still asleep on the floor.
Stepping around him, B went to her closet. Picking out a not-too-flashy pale yellow dress, she found a headband in a darker yellow to match it. In front of her vanity mirror, she applied some light makeup. She was no Serena van der Woodsen, after all; she couldn’t just wake up, throw on some short shorts, and head out the door. Blair Waldorf always had a put-together look of perfection. It was what the public expected, and demanded.
Finishing up with her Victoria’s Secret lip gloss, she threw the tube into a white handbag, along with her cell phone. She slipped on a matching pair of ballet flats, and walked quietly over to Chuck. Bending down, she kissed his cheek gently before heading out the door.
This better be good, she thought, as she slipped down the hallway.

The little bell above the door dinged as Serena hurried into the café.
“What the eff, Serena? Inviting me to lunch, and then being late?” Blair said as her best friend sat down across from her. “You’re hanging by a very thin string as is,” she warned.
“I know,” S said wearily, taking off her coat. “Blair, I’m sorry, but you’ve just got to listen to me.”
B stared at her friend, wondering if Serena’s story was worth her time.
“Well, it’s a good thing you still haven’t lost your good taste, or otherwise we’d be completely over.” Blair glanced around the fancy Manhattan café. The room was bright and airy, and extremely elegant. And, to top it off, their prices were twice that of Starbucks’.
Serena gave a little sigh of relief. B was in an unusual good mood; but S wasn’t one to complain. “Blair, you should know, I never kissed Nate.”
“And I never lost my virginity to Chuck Bass in a limo.” Blair took a sip from her low fat cappuccino.
“Seriously. Nate is revolting. Remember when I told you about him confessing his love? Well, a few days after that, he asked to meet with me. And out of the blue, he kissed me. I know the picture makes it look as though I’m the one kissing him, but I really don’t know how that is. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was edited.” Blair didn’t say a word. “Blair, you’ve got to try and believe me,” Serena added desperately.
Although she was testy with Serena, she was not being full on bitter, as any normal Blair Waldorf would have done. Instead, B offered her best friend the benefit of the doubt.
“That story seems a little odd,” she said slowly. “But you are my best friend, S, and I really want to be able to trust you.” A look of relief washed across Serena’s face. “But how could the picture possibly have been edited? We both know Nate’s not that smart. He must have had help.”
“But who? He has no friends.”
Blair stayed silent for a moment, racking her brain for possible explanations. “Maybe it wasn’t exactly a friend.”
S gave her a puzzled look.
“Maybe… maybe someone else planned this whole thing. Someone who wanted to screw up the Darena perfection. Maybe Nate has nothing to do with this at all. Well, he does, but perhaps getting you two together isn’t the main goal of this operation. Perhaps the goal is splitting up you and Dan.”
“But who would want to do that?”
Blair stared at her best friend, a serious expression on her face. “I think we both know exactly who would.”

Chapter 36

2008-03-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

Chapter 36

Jenny sighed as she lay on her bed, fiddling with the corner of her pillow. The last few days since her date with Oliver had been pretty boring; the only things keeping her life from being completely dull were Gossip Girl’s blog updates. Nothing much; just some Blair/Chuck/Nate drama, and something about the Darena relationship slowly inching toward a major break-up. But none of the usually delicious gossip so much as made Jenny’s eyes wide. It didn’t seem to matter all that much.
All J could think about was Oliver. He hadn’t called her since their date, but he was nice to her in the halls at school. She knew their relationship was a little awkward at the moment, especially because of the way their date ended, but still; she couldn’t keep him off her mind.
Jenny flinched, startled, as the beep of her computer sounded suddenly, informing her of an email. Curiously getting up, J went to examine the screen. It was from Gossip Girl, but it was nothing personal. Just an email alert sent out to all her fans.

Has S finally realized that Lonely Boy avoiding her might have something to do with that pic I received a while ago? Finally, little Blondie is catching up. Get with the program, van der Woodsen. And be careful; or you might just lose your man for good. ;)

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Jenny sighed, spotting a picture file attached to the message. Clicking on it, a photo popped up onto her screen. It showed Dan and Vanessa in the café where V worked, making out. Little J knew that Dan had been thinking about Vanessa for a while, but she never guessed he would turn to her so quickly, especially considering that he hadn’t even officially broke up with Serena yet. Glancing wearily at the screen, Jenny deleted the email.

Serena let out a long sigh as she read the email on her cell phone. She had just recently been considering that Dan knew about her and Nate’s kiss before Gossip Girl found out and made it public. But how could he possibly know?
S wasn’t in the mood to phone him up and try to explain. Instead of being her normal cheery self, she was feeling a tad melancholy. Maybe that pic of Dan and Vanessa had something to do with it.

NYC is the city that never sleeps, and the city that never stops. With the people that never stop.
Blair Waldorf, spotted, breaking down at a local ice cream parlour. Poor B; taking it out on a triple threat sundae. And it seems her little visit to the bathroom, toothbrush in hand, might just have been a triple threat to her reputation, her relationships, and her life.
We’re all just dying to see what’ll happen next. But right now, I’m thinking someone should call and reserve a space at the Ostroff Centre.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Blair sat on the floor of her bedroom, crying. She had taken a taxi back to the penthouse, only to find that her mother had left for England, without even calling. She still had that nauseating feeling deep in her stomach.
B didn’t know what to do. Tears just trickled down her perfect complexion as she lay on the floor, surrounded by used tissues.
She hated Nate. She hated his obliviousness to her pain. She hated how he never understood. She hated how he stared at her with that infamous blank expression; like the look of an owl. No feelings, no recognition of her at all. Sometimes she thought he was staring right through her.
But then there was Chuck’s face. She loved the way he stared; that indescribable look that made him so irritable. Sometimes, you couldn’t figure out what he was thinking of to save your life, but he always had an expression. You could always read something in his remarkable features.
Sighing, Blair ran her hand across her forehead and down one cheek. Quickly, she scanned the contacts list in her cell phone, and then threw it across the room.

Chuck rushed out of the elevator and into the foyer. Calling Blair’s name, he hurried up the staircase. Reaching her door, he stopped. He could hear faint sobbing on the other side. Slowly, Chuck opened the door.
“Blair,” he said, his voice soft, coming to kneel by her on the floor. Still holding a crumpled tissue, B looked up at him. His eyes were dark with concern.
Gently, Chuck took one of Blair’s hands. He wiped the tears from her face with his fingers. “Blair, I didn’t invite Nate. I would never do that without telling you first. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
B let out a little sigh. She wrapped her arms around him. Chuck hugged back, holding her tightly, yet gently. Blair smiled, pressing her face to his neck.
“I know,” she whispered.
And it was all Blair needed. His presence, his arms holding her, comforting her, not daring to let go for a single second. It was all she needed to know that she loved him.

Chapter 35

2008-03-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

Chapter 35

Dan strode up to the studio apartment door and banged on it until someone began turning the doorknob. A startled Vanessa opened the door, a puzzled look on her face.
“Dan?”
“V, you were right all along about Serena. I never should have thought she could have changed.” Dan’s eyes were burning with intensity. Vanessa looked at him nervously, trying to read his expression. It was hard to understand; in his eyes was a mixture of anger and confidence, with… passion?
When Vanessa was silent, Dan continued. “I know it’s taken me a long time to realize it, but me and Serena just weren’t mean to be. We were from two totally different worlds, and I think it’s about time I get with someone more like me. Someone more artistic, and understanding. Someone like you.”
And with that, Dan grabbed V and kissed her passionately. It wasn’t like the gentle, romantic kisses he’d shared with Serena. This one was hot and fierce. Vanessa, overwhelmed with surprise, pleasure, and satisfaction, rested her hands on his shoulders and just took in the perfect moment.

Blair sat in her room, alternating between watching her phone, and watching her computer. Suddenly, her bedroom door opened, and one of the new maids came in.
“Miss Blair,” she said quietly, “there’s a young man downstairs that wishes to see you.”
B sighed. Chuck.
“Tell him I’m busy.”
The maid looked troubled. “Er, he says it’s important,” she said nervously.
Blair sighed. “I told you, tell him I’m busy! I’m not in the mood to see him right now.”
Hesitantly, the maid left.
A few moments later, there was a knock on the door. The same maid entered, but a guest followed behind her. Nate Archibald.
“Hello Blair,” he said in his usual tone. He walked over to her. The maid left, closing the door quietly behind her.
“What are you doing here, Nate?” Blair asked, trying to keep her tone positive.
“I just wanted to come and talk.”
Blair sighed. “Look, I’m not in the mood to talk about Chuck, okay?”
“Then let’s just talk about you. And me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. We broke up, remember?”
“Yeah, I know, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.”
Blair laughed bitterly. “It kind of does. Nate, I know about that picture of you and Serena. You don’t have to explain; you just have to accept the fact that I’m over you and I don’t need you in my life anymore.”
Nate winced at B’s cold words. “Blair… I’m sorry.”
Blair just glared at him, shaking her head slightly. “Well ‘sorry’ doesn’t cut it. Our relationship is over, and so is our friendship. I have someone else now.”
Blair thought of Chuck. But when she thought of them together, memories of the old Chuck came flooding back into her mind. Memories of the way he used to be. Memories of everything he used to do. Blair thought about how much he had changed since that one night at Victrola, but she also thought about how he was probably just bored and had decided to torture her for his own personal pleasure. And finally, the game was over. They were over.
A tear rolled down B’s cheek as she pushed the thoughts of Chuck away. She remembered the last thing she had said to Nate, who was silently waiting for her to continue. What she had said to him was a lie. She didn’t have anyone else.
More tears trickled down Blair’s face without a sound as she looked at her lap. Nate just stared at her, his head cocked slightly to one side.
“Blair… is Chuck the one you lost your virginity to?” he asked slowly, his voice sounding anxious, like he was dreading her response.
She looked up slowly, her eyes shiny with tears. Nate saw the sadness in her expression. He sighed. He didn’t have the heart to be upset.
“Can I just ask you why?” he said finally.
Blair was about to say no, but she looked up into his beautiful blue eyes, and knew she at least owed him a reason.
“I needed him,” she said slowly, her voice quiet. “You weren’t there, and… and he was.”
Nate just stared at her, silently. A look of deep thought was fixed to his face. “I wasn’t there… when?”
“All of the times!” Blair exclaimed suddenly, tears continuing to pour down her face. She sobbed loudly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Without saying another word, she ran out of the room. Nate just stayed where he was, gazing at the door after she had rushed out.
Running to the elevator, Blair grabbed her coat and hurried out of the penthouse. Once outside, she hailed a cab and told the driver to go to the nearest ice cream shop.

Gazing at her giant ice cream sundae, Blair felt sick. But she forced the ice cream down anyway, along with the pain. With every mouthful, Blair felt worse and worse. The pain wouldn’t leave. But she tried harder still.
When the sundae dish was empty, Blair sat looking at it, almost in tears again. She swallowed hard. B took out her phone, and scanned through her contacts list. She passed Serena’s name without much thought; she didn’t feel like talking to S. Blair paused when she reached Chuck’s name. Her thumb lingered on the ‘talk’ button. She felt a growing desire rise in her chest. She wanted to be in his arms so badly. She wanted to feel his warmth against her own body. She wanted to hear his voice, which she loved so much, whispering in her ear.
But she knew she couldn’t. Not after he had purposely put her relationships with both him and Nate on the line. He didn’t care about her; he didn’t care about anyone but himself.
A wave of depression swallowed Blair. She closed her phone. Searching in her purse, B found a hair elastic. Still feeling sick, she tied her chestnut locks away from her face. Sighing, Blair got up and headed for the ladies’ room.

Chapter 34

2008-03-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

Chapter 34

Well, Chuck’s parties always promise to be entertaining. And I think this one gets the blue ribbon. By the end of the night, N had a bloody nose, C had another black eye, and B had tears rolling down her cheeks. Someone should tell that girl to grow up. The two hottest guys of the UES are fighting over her, and all she does is cry because Chuck knocked into her and spilled her cocktail on an insanely expensive new pair of heels. Now, I must admit, she does have great taste in shoes, and fashion doesn’t come cheap, but that B is just a tad too spoiled. And god, have her dating standards ever gone down.
Chuck’s party was basically a chance to confirm the rumors about C and B hooking up. Am I the only one who thinks Blair is just a bit on the sl***y side here? Oh, well. At least the skirts of girls everywhere are safe. We hope B can keep old Bass from his date raping ways. But we’re all quite sceptical about Chuck’s sudden change.
I suppose no one figured Nate would crash the party and learn all about C and B’s little, erm, relationship? But oh, wait a moment. All he knows is that Chuck kissed Blair. Hmm, the results certainly are a tossup, but I’m betting that N won’t be too thrilled to find out there’s more to “Chair” than just a kiss. xoxo.
And onto somewhat related news, a new pic is circling around town. Yes, the Nate and Serena photo. Quite racy, isn’t it? Well, I for one am not surprised. It’s like Paramore says, second chances never matter, people never change. I guess Serena just couldn’t contain the wh0re within her any longer. Oh, well. The Upper East Side can never be too scandalous.
I’m just wondering what our precious Lonely Boy will think.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Serena stared at her computer screen, dismayed. Of course Gossip Girl would find out. She always did.
S picked up her phone and punched in the number she already knew so well.
“Blair? Have you seen what’s on Gossip Girl?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I have.” B’s voice sounded slightly cold.
“Okay, well, I know what you’re thinking and—”
Blair cut her off. “You know what I’m thinking, Serena? I’ll tell you. I’m thinking that I was right about you all along. You think that just because me and Nate are over, you get to have your turn? Well, you already did. Last year.” Blair laughed bitterly. “But I guess I should give you credit this time. I mean, at least you had the decency to get with him after we had split up.”
“Blair, I—”
“I don’t want to hear it. In fact, I don’t want to hear anything, not from you. Ever. Have a nice life, Serena van der Woodsen. I hear it’s always greener on the sl***y side.”
Serena sighed as the line went dead.
`t

Chuck moaned as he heard a knocking at his door. Before he could get up, Serena came into the suite.
“Well aren’t we depressed,” Serena said, coming over to where Chuck lay on the couch. He held an icepack to his right eye. He just turned his head slightly to glare at her.
“What do you want?” Chuck’s voice sounded dark and mean, just like it had been before Blair.
Serena sat down next to C on the sofa. “Blair’s not answering my calls anymore. And apparently, she isn’t answering yours, either.”
“Not since yesterday. Not since Nathaniel had to show up and ruin my life.”
Serena sighed. “It’s not all Nate’s fault. You kept it from him for a long time. And you know it’s impossible to keep a party a secret from anybody with Gossip Girl on the prowl.”
“Fine. It’s her fault, too.” Chuck said dully as he adjusted the icepack.
S was silent for a few moments. Finally, she said, “Chuck, can I ask you a question?”
“No, Serena, I won’t have sex with you. What would Blair think?”
S rolled her eyes. “Seriously.”
“I know I’m irresistible, but you need to control yourself, S.” Serena looked into Chuck’s eyes, a weary expression on her face. He just stared back with a tiny smug smile at the corner of his lips.
Ignoring his comment and his gaze, Serena asked, “Why didn’t you run after her?”
Any trace of a smile on Chuck’s face vanished. He sighed, and looked up at the ceiling. “Serena, I got the s*** beat out of me by Nate Archibald. I was humiliated in front of all my schoolmates. And to top it off, Nathaniel stole my bow tie. I just couldn’t go after her, even if I tried.”
Serena stared at him thoughtfully. His eyes were dull as he looked away from her.
“Do you love Blair?” Chuck whipped his head back. He sat up on the couch next to S. He stared at her a moment.
“Love is a big word,” he said finally.
“…Is that a no?”
Chuck sighed. “I don’t know, Serena! Can you even love when you’re this young? I never cared for it, personally. A waste of time. Why love girls when you can screw them?”
Serena looked down at her lap. She sighed, quietly. “Sometimes you can’t help but love someone,” she said slowly, turning back to him. “Sometimes it isn’t a matter of choice; it just happens.”
“Yeah, well, you should know by now that Chuck Bass doesn’t fall in love,” Chuck said quickly, standing up.
“Are you sure about that?” Serena called to him as he headed for the door. “What about butterflies? Isn’t that love?” He stopped, his hand on the doorknob. Chuck turned to look at her. He was about to say something, but he stopped himself. Staring off through the window behind Serena, he said, “Even if I did love her, it’s too late anyway. She thinks I invited Nathaniel, and now she hates me.”
“It’s never too late.” Serena looked at him hopefully. Chuck just looked back, and then walked out the door.

Chapter 33 -Part 2

2008-01-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

Chapter 33
Part 2

Once Blair had gotten Jenny comfortable and found her some other people to talk with, she met Chuck near the large window. He was looking out at the city. Blair followed his gaze.
“You know, you confuse the crap out of me, Chuck Bass,” she said finally.
Chuck looked at her. “Not knowing everything makes life a whole lot more interesting.” Blair avoided his look and continued staring at the city below.
“Yeah, well, I barely know anything anymore. Especially about you.” B sighed.
“Well, then, I’ll let you in on a few things,” Chuck said to her, sliding his hand around her waist. “Firstly, I hate Nathaniel.” Blair laughed. “Secondly, I like money.”
“No surprise there.” B rolled her eyes.
“I like money because it can buy things that make you happy,” Chuck added. Blair looked at him. He was gazing intently at her. Sometimes she felt like when he looked at her, he saw right through to her soul. It gave her the most eerie feeling, but also the most amazing rush, to gaze into his deep brown eyes and see the delicate care and fascination in his expression when he looked at her. Sighing quietly, Blair slipped out of his hands and turned to face him.
“Have you ever thought that maybe what truly makes me happy can’t be bought?” she said, looking at him, her head tilted slightly. Chuck was silent, for the first time, pondering over what to say.
“Blair,” he said finally, “I know what makes you happy.” He gave her a small smile, and, getting hold of her waist, pulled her into him. After a tiny moment of gazing into each other’s eyes, Chuck kissed her.

[Meanwhile…] Nate opened the door to Chuck’s suite and pushed his way through the crowds of people. He was searching for Chuck to try and find out why he hadn’t been invited. Nate slipped across the room until he reached the large bay window that hung over the city. And, pushing the last few people aside, he arrived just a few feet away from Blair and Chuck. Kissing.
The anger started to boil in Nate’s chest, rising up into his throat. He swallowed hard, and walked briskly over to Chuck. Prying him from B, he swung Chuck to face him, and punched him in the right eye. Before Chuck could fight back, Nate had grabbed his collar and pinned him to the window. N’s eyes were dark with rage.
“What, the hell, Chuck?!” Nate yelled, gripping C’s collar tighter.
“Get your hands off of me!” Chuck yelled back, shoving Nate away and quickly punching him in the jaw. Nate stumbled back and felt his bleeding face, but only for a moment. His glare swung back to Chuck and putting as much force as he could into it, Nate grabbed his friend and rammed him back into the window.
“You lay your hands on her again and you’re dead.” Nate emphasized his words with the extra shove he gave Chuck. C heard the window groan against the weight, and he glanced down at the street down below. Turning to face Nate again, he pushed back hard against him, causing N to fall to the floor.
And before half of the guests could come and see what was going on, Nate and Chuck were rolling on the floor, beating the crap out of each other. Blair just yelled at them desperately, but it was no use.
Eventually, a group of seniors from St. Jude’s were able to pull the two apart, and as some of them led Nate out of the suite, he was still yelling threats at Chuck. C rubbed his sore jaw as he rushed people out of the hotel room. When all of the guests were gone, he closed the door and sighed. Blair was sitting on the bed, watching him with a troubled look on her face.
“Why did you invite Nate without telling me?” she asked, although it sounded more like a statement than a question.
Chuck sighed. “Blair, I—” But B cut him off.
“Did you plan for him come and find out?” Blair studied Chuck intently as he walked towards her, rubbing the fresh bruise on his cheek.
“No, of course not,” C reassured her. He held out his arms when he reached the bed, but Blair just stood up and walked past him. As she reached the door, she looked back at him.
“I can’t believe you would do this,” Blair said coldly. Then she laughed, looking up at the ceiling. “Actually, I do believe you would do this. After all, you are Chuck Bass. And this is exactly the kind of crap you pull all the time.”
Chuck tried to say something, but B interrupted. “You know what, Chuck? Forget it. I’m sick of this. I guess it was just too good to be true. No matter what, you just can’t seem to behave yourself.” Blair opened the door, and looked back at him, a disappointed and hurt look on her face. “Not even for me.”
After Blair closed the door, Chuck let out a huge sigh and flopped down on the bed. He was just too tired to go after her.

Chapter 33 -Part 1

2008-01-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

Chapter 33
Part 1

“So, how did you guys hook up?” Blair and Chuck were standing talking to a couple of sophomores at C’s party. Chuck had been shamelessly flaunting Blair for the past hour, showing off that he could, in fact, be committed to one girl.
“Well,” Chuck said, grinning, “it all started with a strip club, some cocktails, and a—” Blair jabbed her elbow into Chuck’s stomach, and smiled at the two sophomores.
“It’s a… long story,” she said as Chuck glared at her.
The guests walked off, and B whirled on her heels to face C. “I told you you could make us public,” she hissed, “not tell everyone our personal, private story!”
“Well, don’t you want people to know how we started?” Chuck had his usual smug grin on his face.
“No, I don’t! It’s not a very good, story, if you think about it!” Blair’s eyes were bright with anger. “And it sure as hell isn’t romantic!”
Chuck just stared at her, not saying a word. The smug grin was still on his lips, and Blair just wanted to slap it right off.
But they were in public.
“Behave yourself,” she breathed as she swiftly walked past him. C just watched her go, and swallowed the rest of his scotch.

B met Serena over on one of the sofas. “Dan hasn’t been answering my calls. He said he was busy.”
“Then he probably is,” Blair said, sitting down next to her. “Don’t worry about it. Maybe he just thinks you guys are spending too much time together.”
“Maybe...” Serena said, but she didn’t sound that sure of herself. “Oh, well. How’s your evening going?”
“Chuck’s screwing it up, as always,” Blair said, a little bitterly. “God, why does he have to be such an a** all the time?”
“Because he’s Chuck Bass,” Serena said, laughing. “He’s nothing without his smarminess.”
“Is that even a word?” Blair looked at her friend sceptically.
“Actually, I think it is. They made it up in honour of Chuck.”
“I’m sure they did.” Blair sighed and rose from the sofa. She got herself a cocktail at the bar, and noticed Jenny arriving. Before she could close the door, Chuck appeared by J’s side, offering to take her coat. B inched her way towards them casually, listening in.
“So glad you could make it, Little J,” Chuck was saying. “Yeah, well, I was in the neighbourhood.” Jenny laughed nervously as Chuck studied her face.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” C asked nonchalantly, adjusting the silver watch on his wrist.
“Oh, you mean Oliver? I don’t know; he couldn’t make it.” Chuck was about to say something when J quickly added, “And he’s not my boyfriend. We went out once.”
“Well, any guy would be lucky to have you.” Chuck said the words slowly, emphasizing every syllable. He kissed her hand gently; his eyes fixed to hers all the while. Sighing, Blair stood up from her seat nearby and walked over to them.
“Chuck, stop hitting on Jenny,” she scolded, giving J a sympathetic look.
“I wasn’t hitting on anyone, B. I was just being a friendly host.” Chuck gazed at Blair in a failed attempt to look innocent.
“Oh, please, I could spot you drooling from across the room,” Blair said, rolling her eyes. “Come on, J. Let’s leave old Bass here to his perverted fantasies.” B linked arms with Jenny, narrowed her eyes at Chuck, and headed to the other side of the room.

Chapter 32

2008-01-10T16:25:00.000-08:00

Chapter 32

Serena sighed as she waited for someone to pick up on the other line. She had been trying to call Dan for days, but it was almost like he kept avoiding her. Finally, he picked up.
“Dan? Um, I was just wondering if you could make it to Chuck’s party tomorrow?”
“Oh, uh, I’m busy.”
Serena looked confused. “But, last week I thought you said you were free.”
“Yeah, but I made other plans and I guess I forgot to tell you. Sorry.”
The line went dead, and Serena stared at her cell phone, confused.

Nate was sitting in his room watching TV when his phone started buzzing. Startled, he opened it up to see it was a text message.

N-
Just thought I’d invite u 2 the party of the yr. Chuck’s suite, Sunday, 8 pm. Guess he forgot ur invite.
-GG

Nate stared at the message. Chuck was having a party and didn’t invite him? Usually Nate was number one on the invitation list. Closing his phone, N sighed with confusion.

Spotted: S and N, the official spokespeople for confusing phone communication. Oops, was C’s little party supposed to be secret? Well, he should have considered that before inviting everyone on the Upper East Side, and even a couple Brooklyn dwellers. Settle down, I’m not talking about Lonely Boy. Any person could see that Chuck and Dan will never be BFFs. But I hear Chuck’s been looking for a Nathaniel Archibald replacement… a picture perfect friendship, down the tubes. And I’m almost certain Blair Waldorf had everything to do with it.

“So, you stoked for my party tomorrow?” Chuck asked between kisses. He had Blair pinned to her bed as he ran his hands up her thighs.
“Oh yes, I’m so excited about you showcasing us and our relationship for the entire world to see.” Blair pushed back the collar of his jacket, wrapping her hands around his neck.
“As you should be,” Chuck replied, grinning. “I’m quite a catch.”
“Oh, I know,” Blair exclaimed sarcastically. “I just hope my catch doesn’t come laden with crabs when I reel it in.”
“I’ll consider that a joke,” Chuck mumbled, kissing her neck. “A bad joke, but a joke nonetheless.”
Blair laughed. “I thought it was quite original.”
Chuck looked at her. “Please. That’s the oldest one in the book.”
“Oh, and what book is this?” Blair asked, amused.
“The Book of Sex Jokes. Chapter 3, How to Make STDs Funny.”
Blair laughed. “You’re really something,” she said to him. “But I’m not sure if I mean that in a good way.”
“You better mean it in a good way,” Chuck said, looking at her. “Or no more limo sex.”
B rolled her eyes. “Oh, I would be so lost without it.”
“I know. But that’s okay; we can always find new places.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
“Like the storage closets of certain French restaurants.”
“Hmm, yeah, there’s nothing like having sex in a closet and having a waitress walk in on you.”
“I know. We could ask her to join us.”
Blair pushed him away slightly. “You’re sick.”
“Sick but hot. Get over it.”
Laughing, B pushed off his jacket. “I think I already am,” she said, reaching up to kiss him.

Chapter 31

2008-01-10T16:22:00.000-08:00

Chapter 31

“Serena? It’s Jenny. Can you come over? I’m having a major fashion crisis!” Jenny hung up the phone and went back to her closet. She searched the racks hopelessly. I have nothing to wear! was the only thought running through her mind as she pulled out random articles and tossed them aside carelessly.
When Jenny heard the knocking of the front door, she raced to answer it. “Thank goodness you’re here!” she exclaimed. “Serena, I have absolutely nothing to wear, and my date with Oliver is in an hour! Please help me!” Serena laughed at the pleading in J’s voice.
“Jenny, didn’t we go shopping like two days ago?”
“Yes, but none of that stuff is good enough! Oliver is like the picture perfect Upper East Sider!”
“Only less scandalous,” Serena added quietly, laughing.
“In any case, I really need to impress him! He won’t expect me to show up in some $20 blouse from Macy’s!”
“What’s wrong with Macy’s?” Serena asked, frowning, as she followed Jenny to her room.
“Everything, compared to the clothes his previous girlfriends have worn!” Jenny sighed as she flopped down on her bed. “Serena, what am I gonna do?”
“Well, I think you’re gonna stop moaning and try on this fabulous dress I bought for you yesterday.” Serena smiled as she reached into the shopping bag she was carrying. Jenny gasped as S pulled out a hot pink strapless Waldorf original. The gown looked like a prettier version of the gold dress Jenny wore the night of Blair’s sleepover.
“Blair and I went shopping, and we stopped by her mother’s boutique. Blair said the colour was a little dated, as in a few months ago, but I bought it anyway. I thought you wouldn’t mind.” Serena smiled as she handed the dress to Jenny. “So, what do you think?”
“Oh, Serena! It’s… it’s gorgeous! Thank you so much!”
“Don’t mention it. Oh, but you might want these, too.” S pulled out a matching pair of pink heels.
Jenny was overcome with joy. Screaming, she enveloped Serena in a huge hug. Laughing, S hugged back.
“Now you get ready. Oliver’s gonna be here soon, and you still don’t have your makeup done.” Serena smiled as she began to leave the room.
“Uh, Serena…” Jenny called after her.
“Yeah?”
“You wouldn’t happen to have a Sephora kit handy, would you?” Jenny smiled shyly. Grinning, S pulled a stuffed makeup bag out of her purse. She tossed it to Jenny.
“Here. Knock yourself out.”
After Serena had left, all Little J could do was hop around the room, ecstatic over what S had done for her.

“Oh, wow,” Oliver said, gaping at Jenny as she arrived outside the restaurant. “You look… amazing.”
Jenny smiled. She didn’t want him to pick her up from home and see where she lived, so she had asked him to meet her at a club in downtown Manhattan. “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.”
Oliver was in a navy blue dress shirt and dark jeans. His amazing green eyes glittered at the sight of her. Jenny looked him all over, wondering why he looked so vaguely familiar. Suddenly, she realized it. Oliver looked very much like a younger version of Nate.
Shaking the thought out of her head, Jenny linked arms with Oliver and walked into the restaurant.
“You look so good,” Oliver told her, smiling, once they had sat down. “Pink is your colour.”
“Yeah, well, I do like pink,” Jenny said, in a failing attempt to be funny. ‘I do like pink’? What am I, a four year old girl? Jenny sighed at her stupid remark while Oliver just looked puzzled.
“Um, yeah,” he said. “I’m sure you do.”
“So, uh, anyway,” Jenny said quickly, desperately trying to change the subject. “Blair told me you’re the captain of the debate team. What’s that like?”
“It’s interesting,” Oliver replied, taking a sip from the drink the waitress had just brought him. “Even though my dream is to study social sciences, I was always interested in being a lawyer, so I joined the team to improve my skills.”
“Wow. But I also heard you play lacrosse?”
“Yup.”
“You know, I didn’t expect the captain of the debate team also to be a sports buff.” Jenny cringed at her own use of the phrase sports buff.
Oliver laughed. “Hardly. I just play lacrosse to stay fit. I’m really more of an academic. But what about you? Do you play sports?”
“Well, no, unless you count shopping as a sport.” Jenny laughed nervously as she stirred her drink with a toothpick. Oliver studied her face, and then let out a strained laugh.
The evening went on in a similar way until it was late enough for both of them to call it a night. As the two walked outside, Oliver asked, “Do you need me to call you a cab or something?”
“Oh no, I’ll be fine. I’m sure the pink stretch limo will be here soon.” Jenny smiled at Oliver, trying to read his face to see if he got the joke. He just stared at her for a moment, and sighed.
“Jenny, I have to be honest with you. I don’t like stereotype girls. You know, the kinds who traipse around in designer shoes and forty-dollar lip gloss. I don’t care about that stuff. I like girls who are confident and don’t feel like they need to buy their way into society.
“That’s why I don’t date the Blair Waldorfs of the world. I mean, no offence to Blair Waldorf, but I find those girls shallow and superficial, not to mention insecure. I want to be with someone for who they are, not who they wear.” Oliver tried to make eye contact with Jenny, but she was just staring at the pavement below her. She could feel tears welling in her eyes.
“Jenny,” Oliver said, this time more gently, “Who are you?”
Forcing herself not to cry, J looked up at him. She swallowed, and took a deep breath in. “I’m Jenny Humphrey, and I’m a freshman at Constance Billiard School for Girls. I’m always trying to fit in with the girls at my school, but I just can’t because I’m not like them. I listen to the Spice Girls and shop at thrift stores, and the only reason I’m wearing an Eleanor Waldorf original tonight is because a friend bought it for me. I couldn’t afford it if I saved up for five years.” Sighing, Jenny felt a tear slip down her cheek. “I’m Jenny Humphrey, and I’m a Brooklyn girl living in an Upper East Side world.”
Smiling softly, Oliver wiped the tear from her cheek. “I knew you weren’t yourself tonight,” he told her quietly. “But I always want you to be yourself. You don’t have to pretend to be somebody else just to impress people. Sometimes the best thing is just to be honest and true.”
Jenny wiped her eyes and looked at Oliver. “I was afraid that if I told you who I was, you wouldn’t give me a chance.”
“You should have told me. I wouldn’t have judged you.”
Still sniffling, Jenny smiled slightly. “Are you judging me now?”
Oliver smiled back. “Well, now that I know that you’re an actual human being with feelings, I don’t have to.”
Oliver placed his hand gently on her cheek, and kissed her. Jenny felt happy to be in that perfect moment, staring into his warm eyes, feeling his gentle breath on her lips. It was like something out of a fairy tale.
Jenny hugged him, not needing to say a word. After a few minutes of silent cuddling on the sidewalk, Oliver called her a cab.
“Take this gorgeous girl home,” he said to the cab driver as he helped Jenny into the back. Smiling, Jenny told the driver to go to Brooklyn.
She said goodbye to Oliver just before she shut the door, and watched him through the window as the cab began to pull away.
Leaning back on the seat, Jenny sighed. For once in her life, she felt proud to be from Brooklyn.

Chapter 30

2007-12-31T13:55:00.000-08:00

Chapter 30

Well, people, it’s been a few days since anything scandalous has happened. Oh, besides a few minor things, of course.
We hear a certain Lonely Boy has been avoiding S. Now he’s lonelier than ever. We’re back to square one with him. Joy.
Bass has been blowing off Nate. He has suggested that N find some new friends. Hmm, are we sensing some tension between the most popular boys of the UES? We sure hope so. Those two are just a little too close. And God, people, that’s not what I mean! Close friends. At least, that’s what we’re all hoping. ;)
Our favourite wannabe “It Couple”, Little J and Oliver, have not been seen together since Monday. Luckily, their date is tomorrow, so I’ll naturally get all the deats.
And, by popular demand, people have been wanting to know what’s up with the Queen B. Well, her life hasn’t been very interesting lately. But I think she’s been spending just a little too much time with Chuck…
And, speaking of Chuck, everyone’s stoked for his party this weekend. Well, almost everyone. Whoever said Sunday was a day of rest sure didn’t know the Upper East Siders.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

“Dan hasn’t called me in forever,” Serena said as she searched a rack of skirts for her size. S and B were at a little boutique in the centre of Manhattan, looking for new outfits to wear at Chuck’s party. “I wonder if everything’s okay.”
“Hmm, well, normally I would suggest going to his house and trying to find him, but you’ve done enough of that already to be classified as a stalker.” Blair laughed as Serena shoved her lightly. “But seriously, S, you are a little obsessed.”
“Whatever.” Serena laughed.
“Hold on a second while I go try this on.” Blair rushed off to the dressing room, leaving Serena in the middle of the store.
A few minutes later, Blair came back out in a beautiful black dress. It had a low V-neck, trimmed with ruffles, and the skirt of it flowed down to her knees, where more black ruffles lined the bottom.
“Oh, Blair!” Serena exclaimed, watching as B twirled in front of a mirror. “You look gorgeous!”
“I know!” Blair said, beaming. “This’ll go perfectly with my new black heels.”
“And your Birthday Necklace,” Serena teased. Blair laughed, but she actually did think it would look nice with the dress.
“I’m so getting this,” B said as she walked back into her change room.
“Chuck’ll love it!” Serena called after her.
Laughing, Blair closed the door. She stared at the dress in the mirror. I sure hope so, she thought to herself, smiling.

When Blair opened the door to her room, she was surprised to find someone was already waiting for her there.
“We need to talk,” Chuck said, getting up from the chair he was sitting in. Quickly, Blair put her shopping bag away. She wanted the dress to be a surprise.
“Why, are you like, breaking up with me or something?”
“No, but I might be if Nate doesn’t find out soon. Blair, that guy is driving me insane! He’s always stalking me and interrogating me!”
“Uh, I hate to break it to you, but you and Nate are best friends. And I’m pretty sure he just wants to hang out with you. That’s what friends do.”
“Humph. Yeah, sure, that’s why he was asking about you and me.”
Blair stared at him. “He asked you about us?”
“Well, I mean, not directly. But I’m sure that’s what he meant when he asked to borrow my shampoo.”
Blair laughed. “You’re so paranoid. Everything’s fine. We’ll tell him later, alone. It would be best not to make a scene.”
“But still. It’s not just about what he says.” Chuck sat down again. “Whenever I’m around him, I get really nervous. Like he’s suddenly just gonna know.”
“Hmm, Chuck Bass, nervous?” Blair said sarcastically, sitting down on his lap. “What is happening to the world? What’s next, Gossip Girl not using fashion metaphors? Serena not being obsessed with a lowly Brooklyn boy?”
Chuck put his hand around her waist, but narrowed his eyes at her. “Scoff if you will, Waldorf, but it’s true that things are changing.”
“Oh, really?” Blair looked sceptical.
“Oh yes,” Chuck said, leaning close to her. “You know great changes are coming when Blair Cornelia Waldorf is no longer in the arms of Nathaniel Archibald.”
“Hmm, yes, especially when she’s in the arms of his best friend Bass. You know, it’s like I always say,”—B spoke quietly, almost in a whisper—“Best friends come and go, but Blair is forever.”
And smiling, B leaned in and kissed him.

Chapter 29

2007-12-31T12:38:00.000-08:00

Chapter 29

“Hey, man,” Nate said, walking through the door of Chuck’s hotel room.
“Hello, Nathaniel.”
“Can we talk?” Nate sat down next to Chuck on the sofa.
“What about?”
“Well, I dunno. Stuff. We never hang out anymore.”
“What are you talking about? We hang out all the time. Like right now.”
“Um, actually, no, we don’t.”
“Oh, well. We weren’t that close anyway.” Chuck got up to leave.
“What? We’re like best friends.” Nate followed him to the door.
“Yeah, we should talk about that. You really need some new friends.” Chuck opened the door and walked out into the hallway. Nate followed him into the elevator, and down into the lobby. Serena was just leaving.
“Serena!” Chuck called to her, and she turned around. Hesitating, she walked over to them.
“Here you go, Nate,” Chuck said, patting his friend’s shoulder. “You can hang out with S. Knock yourself out.”
Serena nervously watched Chuck go. When they were alone in the lobby, S turned back to Nate. “Um,” she said, actually not knowing what to say. “I… I was just leaving.”
“Yeah.” Nate looked down at the floor. He could sense the huge amount of tension.
“It’s, uh, important, so I better get going. See you later, okay?” Serena quickly rushed out of the hotel and hailed a cab.
Back inside, Nate just stood there. Suddenly, his pocket started vibrating. He took out his cell phone.
“Hello?”
“Nate? It’s Vanessa. I’m done all the finishing touches. Who knew it would take this long to find a leg in that exact colour of leggings? Come over to my place, and we’ll get it printed out.”
“Great. I’m on my way.” Nate closed his phone, and hurried outside.

At Vanessa’s, V showed N the edited photo.
“Wow,” Nate said. “Impressive.”
The photo of Nate and Serena kissing was Photoshopped to make it look like Serena was the one kissing him. Nate’s hands were still around her waist, but S was edited a lot. Her arms were around his neck, she was leaning in, and her right leg was popped up. Nate couldn’t believe how realistic it looked.
“Now, to print it, and send you off to Dan.” Vanessa printed the picture and handed it to Nate. “You know what to do?” Nate nodded. “Good. Don’t screw up.” Vanessa looked at him, very seriously.
“I won’t.”

When Nate reached Dan’s building, he hesitated. Maybe I shouldn’t do this, he thought. Someone’ll find out. I just know it. Sighing, Nate realized he was torn. He didn’t think Dan was that bad of a guy, and he probably didn’t deserve this. But Nate needed Serena. And the only way to win Serena’s heart is if Dan is out of the picture.
Nate walked into the building.

“You don’t really have a life, do you?” Nate asked, laughing, as Dan let him in.
“Actually, I do have a life, and her name is Serena. But she took Jenny out shopping today, so it’s back to being antisocial.” Dan closed the door, but Nate just stood there. “So,” Dan asked, “What brings you to my humble abode?”
“Well, actually, Serena is what I wanted to talk to you about,” Nate said slowly. “Dan, obviously you try and see the best in people. And sometimes that can be a weakness. I know you think Serena’s changed, but she hasn’t. She’ll always be the Old Serena, deep down. And nothing can change that.”
“What are you talking about?” Dan looked confused. Sighing, Nate pulled the printed photo out of his pocket. He handed it to Dan.
Dan stared at the picture, studying every angle. Clearly, Serena was all over Nate. “I… I don’t understand…”
“This happened a few days ago. Gossip Girl emailed me the photo. She was probably trying to prove a point. I’m sorry, Dan.”
All Dan could do was stand there and stare at the piece of the paper in his hands.
“Look,” N said as he opened the front door, “If I were you, I wouldn’t say anything to Serena. It probably wouldn’t go well. You should just keep your dignity and move on.” And with that, Nate was gone.
Dan just stared at the closed door in front of him, an expression of deep betrayal on his face.

Chapter 28

2007-12-31T12:33:00.000-08:00

Chapter 28

Blair and Chuck were making out on Blair’s bed, as usual, when Serena suddenly came into the room. Surprised, Blair shoved Chuck off the bed and onto the floor.
Serena rolled her eyes. “You guys really should become public already.”
Chuck, getting up, smiled at her. “Why, so we can have sex in front of everybody?”
“Thank god I didn’t come in a few minutes later,” Serena said, staring at Chuck. “Who knows what would have happened by then?”
“Oh, I think you have a pretty good idea of what would have happened by then.” Chuck winked at S and sat back down on the bed. Serena shuddered in disgust, and walked over to Blair.
“B, I need you to help me do some online research. Our computer broke, and my cell phone died.”
“Sure,” Blair said, walking over and logging onto her computer. “What do you need to research?”
“Oliver Jacobs.”
Blair smiled wickedly. “Oh, gossip research. My favourite kind.” Blair clicked open the Gossip Girl homepage.
“I just want to know a little more about him. After the Chuck incident, I want to be sure that whoever Jenny is seeing is safe.” Serena glared at Chuck.
“Hey, I’m safe! I always have condoms available.”
Serena rolled her eyes. “Blair, do you know anything about Oliver?”
Blair swivelled in her chair to face Serena. “Hmm, let’s see. He was born here, a true blue blood, from one of the richest families in New York. He’s on the yearbook committee, the environmental committee, and the charity drive committee. He’s the captain of the debate team, he’s on the lacrosse team, and does various extracurricular activities. He hopes to study social sciences and one day attend Oxford, his dream school. And from what I know,”–Blair gave Serena a satisfied smile—“he’s still a virgin.”
“Um, okay, that’s great. But, how do you know all of that?” Serena looked at Blair, confused.
“Because she tried to take his virginity a few years back, but he’s gay,” Chuck piped up.
“Yeah, right.” Blair glared at him. “He’s not gay. In fact, he’s had a few girlfriends, but he’s more for relationships than flings.”
“That’s more than you can say for us, isn’t it Blair?” Chuck laughed as he ducked a velvet pillow Blair hurled at him.
“I’ve known him for a while. His parents were always invited to my mom and dad’s parties, so I got to converse with him over the years. Not a bad kid. Reminds me a little of a younger Nate. But less preppy.” The girls laughed.
“Alright, well, thanks. I just wanted to know because I look out for Jenny like a sister.”
“Oh, god, Serena,” Chuck said, sounding disgusted. “Dan’s her brother, and you’re going out with him. Nice way to do a remake of the Brady Bunch.”
“Yeah, well, you’re the disgusting one. Remember when you hit on me when I came back from boarding school? Well, you know our parents are dating, right? Talk about creepy.” Serena shuddered at the thought of her mother and Bart Bass.
“Ugh. I know. And hey, I hit on you before they were going out. I think. Well, at least before we knew. So it doesn’t count.”
“Wait, you hit on her?” Blair said, astonished.
“Don’t be so surprised, Blair,” Serena said. “He’s hit on like every girl in this city.”
“Don’t exaggerate, S. Not every girl; just most of them. And besides, that was before I met you, love,” Chuck said, coming over and kissing Blair on the cheek. She stared at him dully.
“You met us both at the same time.”
“Well, before I was with you. And don’t be so upset. I was just trying to see what Nate saw in her.”
“Excuse me?!” Serena exclaimed.
“No offence, of course.” Chuck smiled at her.
“Whatever. I have to go. See you two later. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Serena glared at Chuck.
“Serena, darling, you’ve done everything, and everyone.” Chuck smiled again as Serena sighed and left the room. Blair still looked upset.
“Blair, don’t be so upset,” Chuck said to her. “At least I didn’t sleep with her like some other boyfriends you’ve had.”
B smiled a little. “I guess that’s true. But wait, does this mean… does this mean that you’re my boyfriend now?”
“Well, I think we’ll have to be a little more open about ‘us’ for it to be official dating.”
Blair smiled. “Who needs everything to be official?” she said, as she leaned in to kiss him. Getting up, and holding onto Chuck by his shirt collar, Blair shuffled over to the bed and flopped down on it.
“Certainly not us,” Chuck said, smiling at B as he unbuttoned her shirt.

Outside of Blair’s building, Serena ran into Dan.
“Hey,” he said. “I thought you might be here; your mom said you went to see Blair.”
“Yeah, I did, obviously,” Serena replied, laughing.
“Well, may I escort you to get some coffee?”
“You may,” Serena said in a fake English accent, still laughing. Dan looped his arm through hers, and laughing, the two of them skipped down the sidewalk, talking in very bad accents.
A nearby girl took a picture of them with her camera phone.

Spotted: D and S on a lovely stroll through NYC. Taking a little walk in the English countryside, huh, S? Well, I guess you’ve given up keeping a good reputation; nice job not looking like a complete idiot in public. Oh, the things love does to the mind.
(See horrifying photo below)

Chapter 27

2007-12-31T12:31:00.000-08:00

Chapter 27

Serena, Blair, Jenny, Is, and Kati were all sitting on the steps eating lunch together when Chuck Bass came sauntering up to them. He handed each girl a little white envelope.
“Formal much?” Serena asked as she examined the envelope. It was invitation to Chuck’s latest party.
“This isn’t one of my usual get-togethers, van der Woodsen,” Chuck answered, sounding fakely bitter. “It’s much more sophisticated than that.”
Serena opened the envelope. “So are you expecting corsets and lace?”
“Only from Victoria’s Secret,” Chuck said, smiling at her. Serena rolled her eyes.
“Relax, S. It’s just another rave.” Blair read through the invitation.
“It is not,” Chuck insisted. “It’s just a normal party. However, invitations are required this time because not everyone is invited.”
“Is that so?” Blair said, raising her eyebrows. “And who is not invited?”
“Nathaniel.”
“You’re not inviting your best friend?” Kati said sceptically.
“No. We were never that close, anyway.”
“Uh huh.”
Blair sighed. “Chuck, why are you having this party?”
“He’s probably not inviting any guys at all,” Is said.
“Ugh. Sleaze.” Kati put a grape in her mouth.
“Hey, that’s not true. I’m inviting guys. Carter Baizen’s invited.” Chuck grinned at them all.
Blair stood up. “Chuck, can I see you over there for a second?” She smiled at her friends as she led him away.
“Why the hell are you having a party and not inviting Nate?” she hissed.
“So you want him to come?”
“Chuck, just tell me what’s going on.”
“Ah, so you do want him to come.”
“Chuck!”
Chuck sighed. “Fine. Blair, I want to bring us out into the open. We’ve hidden it long enough, and the longer we continue to hide it, the worse it’ll be when everyone finds out.”
“So you’re throwing a party to tell everyone about us, except Nate? Oh, yeah, that’s a terrific plan.” Blair’s voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“We’ll tell him later, I promise. Baby steps.”
Blair sighed. “Fine. But you better make sure nothing goes wrong.”
“How could anything go wrong when I’m planning it?”
Blair sighed again. “Whatever. Just make sure to keep it quiet.”
“Sure.” They walked back over to B’s friends.
“The party’s in a week. See you ladies there.” Chuck winked at Blair and walked away.
“So?” Serena whispered to Blair once he had left.
“I’ll tell you later,” B whispered back.

It was a few minutes after school had ended, and Jenny was making her way through the crowds outside. In a hurry to get through the mobs of people, she bumped right into Oliver.
“Oh, hey,” she said, a little surprised. The two stumbled out of the way of their classmates, and went to stand on an empty sidewalk.
“Crazy back there, isn’t it?”
Jenny laughed. “Yeah.”
“Um, so, did you have fun at the party?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. Did you?”
“Yeah. Me and Blair are real tight. Best friends.” Jenny laughed again.
“I imagine you must be. Blair’s parties are extremely exclusive.”
“Yes, there were only a few hundred kids there from our schools. She’s really cutting down on the invites.” Oliver smiled. Jenny smiled back. “So, um, actually, I have something I want to ask you…” Oliver said, sounding a little nervous.
“Yes?” Jenny prompted.
“Um, well… are you doing anything on Friday?”
“I don’t think so,” Jenny said, trying to hide her excitement.
“Well, then, would you like to go out? On Friday? With me?”
Jenny laughed a little. “I’d love to,” she said.
“Good. That’s, that’s great. I’m sorry, I don’t do this often.” Oliver blushed.
“It’s alright.” Little J kissed his cheek and started down the sidewalk. “See you tomorrow!” she called over her shoulder.
“I’ll call you!” Oliver said back. Sighing, he watched her go, before heading in the opposite direction.

Spotted: One Constance Billiard girl heading Brooklyn’s way. One St. Jude’s boy heading polar opposite; high end Manhattan. This is déjà vu all over again; anyone remember Dan and Serena?
We only hope the best will come for these two; but maybe not every relationship works out as perfectly as with D and S. But wait; actually, I hope it won’t work out. Darena is so sweet and perfect; it’s starting to get boring. Our little Upper East Side needs some excitement, and I’m sure so does Brooklyn. Vanessa’s flying under the radar again, planning her next attack. Can’t wait, V. You know we love you. Well, sort of.

Chapter 26

2007-12-31T12:30:00.000-08:00

Chapter 26

Nate met with Vanessa at 3:45 near the park to discuss what they were going to do. When they’d agreed on the plan, Nate went to meet Serena. Vanessa followed closely behind with her camera phone ready.
“Hey, Serena,” Nate said, approaching the bench she was sitting on.
“Hi.”
“Um, thanks for meeting me here.”
“You’re welcome.”
Nate sat down beside her. “So,” he said a little nervously, “I’m sorry about last night and everything. I just couldn’t hold it in any longer.”
Serena just looked at him,
“And,” Nate continued, “I’ve realized that we can never be together, but I just needed you to know how I felt so we could both move on. I wasn’t expecting you to say it back, either.”
“Good. Because, I’m sorry, Nate, but I’m with Dan, and it would just be too hard to ever be with you.” Serena looked at little sympathetic. Nate sighed.
“I understand. You love him, not me.”
“I never said I loved him,” Serena said suddenly. “I just care about him, and respect him too much to do anything behind his back.” Serena stood up. Nate did too.
“Well, why do things behind his back? I mean, it is possible to do things openly.”
Quickly, before Serena had a chance to reply, Nate grabbed her and kissed her. With his strong, muscular arms, he held her tight against him, his hands wrapped around her waist.
Serena struggled, but it was no use. He had a good hold on her, and he wasn’t letting go. When Nate finally released her, Serena was out of breath.
“Nate!” was all she could manage.
N smiled. “Why, Serena! I didn’t think you felt that strongly about me.”
“What are you talking about?” Serena looked shocked.
“I’ll call you later.” Nate smiled and walked away, leaving Serena standing there, astonished.
Once Nate was around the corner, Serena whipped out her cell phone.
“Blair? It’s Serena. Can I come over? It’s important.”

Nate and Vanessa were in V’s house, at the computer. They had uploaded the picture Vanessa had taken onto the computer, and were about to start work on it.
On the screen was a perfectly angled photo of Nate and Serena in the park, kissing. Of course, it was obvious that Nate had been the one doing the kissing, as he was the one holding her in.
“We can definitely fix this,” Vanessa said, examining the photo.
“How long will it take?” Nate asked.
“Probably a few hours. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
“Awesome. Make sure it looks believable.”
“Of course.”
After Nate left, Vanessa started work on the picture. Tsk, tsk, Serena, she thought to herself as she began clicking. Aren’t we unfaithful? But don’t worry; that won’t be much of a problem for long.

“And so then he just let go! I was so confused!” Serena chugged the rest of her coffee.
“And then what did he do?”
“He ran off.”
“Hmm…” Blair was scanning the Gossip Girl web site. “That’s very strange. And I can’t believe Gossip Girl hasn’t heard about him confessing his love to you yet. She needs to get with the program.”
“You know, I’d prefer it if she didn’t.” Serena went to pour herself some more coffee. “Our lives would be so much easier without our own personal paparazzi.”
“Amen to that,” Blair agreed. “But I guess GG doesn’t have much of a life, so she spends her days pursuing ours.”
“Well, at least we’re like the celebrities of the Upper East Side.”
“Honey, we’re like the queens of the Upper East Side. And this beautiful city of ours,”–Blair waved her hands in the air, gesturing around her—“is our castle.”
“I thought the Palace was our castle.”
“No, dear, the Palace is our palace.”
“It’s more like Chuck’s palace.”
“Serena, don’t turn this conversation into a scene out of Gilmore Girls.”
“Sorry,” Serena said, laughing. “But Lorelai would be proud."

Chapter 25

2007-12-31T12:28:00.000-08:00

Chapter 25

A Waldorf dinner party is never boring; Blair makes sure of that. She was seen sneaking upstairs to her room on many occasions, and so was Chuck Bass. Hmm. I wonder what they could be hiding… All I know is that it probably won’t please a certain Nate Archibald.
However, Blair wasn’t the only one spicing up the night. Little Jenny Humphrey, our favourite wannabe, was spotted chatting it up with hunky St. Jude’s sophomore, Oliver Jacobs. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with those two; we’re pretty sure he doesn’t know that Little J isn’t exactly a wealthy Upper East Sider. And considering that Oliver is one of the richest 15 year olds in Manhattan, Jenny won’t be that thrilled to tell him.
N was seen strolling the sidewalks with a mysterious girl. Some say she’s Lonely Boy’s little friend, Vanessa Abrams. But whoever it is, we’re sure Nate had a pretty good reason to ditch Blair’s party for her.
And SVDW? Well, she was pretty teared up after going out for some fresh air. Something about a forbidden love, we hear. We’re all waiting on the edge of our seats to see what happens next.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Nate sighed. He was in Chuck’s hotel room, lying on the couch, searching through the contacts list on his cell phone. He stared at Serena’s number.
It was noon, the day after Blair’s dinner party. Nate had spent a while talking to Vanessa about how they were going to go about splitting up D and S the previous night. All N had to do was go and tell Dan that Serena was in love with him, and provide some proof. Of course, the proof would be hard to get, considering that Serena probably didn’t ever want to see him again. But all Nate needed was one kiss, and a whole lot of Photoshop.
Finally, Nate dialled Serena’s number. She picked up on the second ring. “Hi, Serena, it’s Nate.” There was silence on the other end. Nate continued. “Um, look, I know you probably don’t want to see me right now, but I just think that we really need to talk.”
There was another pause before Serena finally replied. “What’s there to talk about?”
“Well, you know, just about us. I mean, if we can’t ever be together, we should at least try and be friends. I’d really like to stay friends, Serena.”
Serena sighed. “Fine. Meet me at the park by the hotel at four.”
She hung up.
Nate stared at his cell phone. Well, at least phase one was completed. But the next part would be much more difficult.

Do these diamonds match the embroidery on this blouse?
Blair was sitting at her vanity desk, trying to find accessories to go with the new outfit she had bought a few days ago. She was holding Chuck’s necklace up to her neck, comparing it with one of her favourite pearl chains. Laying the necklace back down beside the pearls, she sighed.
Blair’s bedroom door opened suddenly.
“Don’t you ever knock?” Blair said once she saw who it was.
“Knocking is so predictable.” Chuck smiled as he walked over to her. “Besides, the maid knew I came in. Isn’t that good enough?”
“Not really. What if I had been changing in here?” Blair put the necklaces away.
“All the better.” Chuck grinned devilishly. B rolled her eyes.
“So,” she asked, “on what special occasion have you arrived today?”
“No occasion,” Chuck said defensively. “Can’t a guy just come and visit the girl he’s having a secret affair with on any random morning?”
“First of all, no, and second of all, it’s not a secret affair. A lot of people know. And I don’t really care if a lot of people know, because eventually they’re gonna find out anyway. What I’m worried about is Nate.”
“You know, the longer we hide it from him, the more pissed off he’s gonna be when he finds out.”
Blair sighed. “I know. I just want him to like, die, or something, so we wouldn’t have to tell him.”
“That could be arranged…” Chuck said thoughtfully. Blair laughed a little.
“I’m sick of worrying about him, though. I’m sick of having to sneak around with you because of him. Sometimes, I just wanna kiss you in front of him so it’s over with, and then just tell him all about it.”
“But you know he’ll blame me. And I know the guy’s kind of, well, I won’t say sleazy because that would be hypocritical, so, messed up, but that doesn’t mean I want to end our friendship. I mean, I’m like the only friend he has.”
Blair laughed. “Yeah, he’d be a real loser without you.”
“Everyone in this city would be.” He smiled at Blair. “But I agree, I’m really tired of him, too. And talking about him. So let’s do something else.”
Blair raised her eyebrows at him. “Oh, and what do you have in mind, Bass?”
Chuck grinned at her. “I think you very well know what I have in mind,” he said as he scooped her up in his arms and tossed her onto the bed. Laughing, Blair got a hold of his tie and pulled him down on top of her.
And we all know what happens next.

Chapter 24 -Part 3

2007-12-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

Chapter 24
Part 3

A teary-eyed Serena burst into the penthouse, and pulled Blair from her fans. Bringing her upstairs, S told her best friend everything. Blair just sat there, soaking up every word. When Serena had finished, Blair didn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry,” S said, anxious for Blair to respond.
“Quite frankly, I’m not surprised,” B said finally. “A part of me always knew he would never get over you. But it doesn’t matter to me, because we’re over and I never wish to have to say another word to him for as long as I live. But what are you going to do about it?”
“Well, I don’t know,” Serena said honestly. “I mean, I don’t know what to tell him. I’m with Dan, and I swear on my life I’ll never be with Nate. But I suppose I’ll have to talk to him eventually.”
At that moment, the door to Blair’s room opened, and Chuck slowly came in. “Are you okay?” he asked Serena.
“Yeah, I’m alright. I mean, Nate Archibald just confessed his love to me, but I tried to play it cool.” Chuck laughed a little and came to sit with them.
“Yep, that guy’s been on you for a while now.”
“I kind of guessed that.” Serena smiled a little sorrowfully.
“I should have paid more attention to it,” Blair said, playing with Chuck’s fingers. “It was there to see all along.”
“Well, the important thing is that now everyone knows, and you’ll just have to find a way to deal with this, Serena.”
“Can’t you have him move to Vermont?” S asked desperately. “And maybe take Vanessa back with him?”
“I wish,” Chuck said, rubbing Blair’s palm. “I know he’s supposed to be my best friend, but it would be much easier to deal with this whole ‘I stole Blair’ thing if he was dead or something. I mean, he’s the only one who doesn’t know by now, and eventually someone’ll tell him, and then his fist will have a seizure all over my face.”
The girls laughed. “Yeah, well, at least the scars will bring down your ego a bit.”
“I doubt it. Scars are hot. I’ll just tell people I got in a motorcycle accident.”
Blair looked at him. “In Manhattan?”
“Hey, it happens,” Chuck insisted. They all laughed.
“Well, I think I’ll just head home.” Serena went to get up, but Blair stopped her.
“Why? The night’s still young, and I doubt Nate will show up after what happened.”
“I guess you’re right,” Serena said slowly. “I’ll just hang out with you and Jenny for a while.”
“Okay. Hey, we’ll meet you down there, okay?” Blair winked at her.
Serena rolled her eyes. “You two are disgusting,” she said, laughing.
“Close the door on your way out,” Chuck called after her as he pushed Blair onto the bed. Laughing, Blair reached up and kissed him.

Shortly after Serena had arrived downstairs, Jenny was whisked off by some sophomore from St. Jude’s. They had talked a lot, and laughed a lot, and Jenny was really having fun. The guy was only slightly taller than she was, with curly light brown hair and emerald green eyes. His name was Oliver Jacobs, and he was extremely loaded.
“So you and Blair are good friends then?” Oliver asked as he handed her a virgin cocktail.
“Um, yeah, pretty good friends. But our relationship’s kind of been rocky lately.” She daintily sipped the fruity drink.
“From what I’ve heard, all of Blair’s relationships are rocky.” He raised his eyebrows at her. “Besides, of course, the one with her boyfriend.”
Jenny looked at him anxiously. Which boyfriend was he talking about? Was he thinking of Nate, or was ‘Chair’ not that big a secret after all?
“Nate? Nate Archibald?” Oliver looked a little confused.
“Oh, um, yes, that boyfriend. Actually, they split up a while ago.”
“Oh. Well, my sympathies to Blair.” Jenny, not wanting to explain that Blair had been the one to dump Nate, and then explain further about B’s latest beau, just smiled and sipped her drink.
“Well, it’s getting kind of late, and I have a charity drive in the morning, so I should be heading off. Would you do me the honour of giving me your phone number?”
“Of course,” Jenny said, trying her best to sound ladylike. She wrote it on a slip of paper and handed it to him.
“Excellent. See you on Monday.” Oliver kissed her cheek, and said goodbye as he headed towards the door.
Jenny sighed. Oliver was smart, funny, handsome, and was interested in her. Little J reran their whole conversation through her mind. He’s sweet, too, she thought. How nice of him to help with a charity drive.
Smiling, J headed back towards her friends. Maybe Blair didn’t have to be her only way into the Upper East Side after all. And of course, Jenny could do with someone to keep her mind off of Nate.

Chapter 24 -Part 2

2007-12-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

Chapter 24
Part 2

Finally, Nate arrived. His mother had come much earlier, but N was nervous. Walking slowly into the foyer, Nate walked over to Chuck.
“Where’s Blair?” he asked desperately. Chuck, without a word, pointed across the room. Jenny, Is, Kati, Blair, and Serena were all sitting on the penthouse stairs, laughing. Cocktails were scattered on the steps.
Nate walked closer, but noticed Serena first. She captured his attention with her smiling face and beautiful outfit. Her dress was short, and a deep purple with black sequins lining the straps and neck. The long V-Neck was met by a shimmery black band below the bust line, and the skirt of the dress flowed out. When S laughed, she tossed her head, her long blonde hair flowing out and cascading down her back.
Nate stared in awe at her. He barely noticed Blair’s designer snow white dress and expensive pearl accessories. At that moment, he finally realized that all this time, he was only pretending to love Blair. He needed to pretend, or he would lose her. But Serena was the real girl he wanted, and no other girl, not even Blair Waldorf, could measure up.
Chuck sauntered over to him, holding a drink, and followed Nate’s gaze.
“She’s beautiful,” Nate whispered.
Again, Chuck asked, “Which one?” N turned his head to his best friend. But this time, his eyes were clear with knowledge.
“Serena,” he said, turning back to the girls. “It’s always been Serena.”

After many journeys upstairs for secret make out sessions with Chuck, Blair finally returned to being the life of the party. She was enjoying the attention, and was glad Serena was being careful not to take it from her.
B had done her best to avoid N whenever he kept walking towards her, but when Blair was telling a story in the middle of the room, he squeezed his way into the crowd and led Serena out.
“Come outside with me,” he told her, being careful not to say it too loudly. Serena began to protest, but Nate interrupted her. “Blair won’t notice if you’re gone. And I really need to talk to you.”
Finally, Serena sighed, and agreed. Nate left first, and Serena slipped out after him a few moments later.
When they met outside of Blair’s building, Nate looked relieved. He could feel the tension when Blair ignored him, and there was fresh air outside. And, there was Serena van der Woodsen, of course.
“Serena, there’s something I have to tell you.” He led her down the steps and under the light of a street lamp.
“What is it, Nate?” Serena asked, sounding tired. “I already told you, Blair isn’t interested.”
“No, I… it’s not about Blair,” he said slowly. “Serena, it’s taken me a while to realize this, but…”
“But what?” Serena looked irritated. “Can we hurry this along? It’s getting cold out here.” She rubbed her bare arms.
“Serena…” Nate took a deep breath. “I love you.”
S laughed a little. “You’re kidding, right?” N looked down at the pavement below them.
“Oh my god,” Serena whispered. “Nate, no. You can’t.”
He looked up at her, his eyes intense with hurt. “I can’t help the way I feel, Serena. But everything about you, I just can’t resist it. I love you, and I just can’t keep it from you any longer.” S stared at him, not knowing what to say.
“Nate…” Serena began, but N interrupted her again.
“And you can’t use the Blair excuse anymore. You said yourself it’s over.”
“This isn’t just about Blair. Well, I mean it is, but that’s not all. I mean, there’s Dan, my boyfriend, and second, I can never be with you. I just can’t.”
Nate gave her a sceptical look. “You did it once already.”
“That doesn’t count!” Serena insisted. “We were both drunk and stupid, and you’d have to be insane to think that’s love.”
N licked his lips, not knowing what to say next. “Serena, this isn’t just about that one night. It’s about every time I see you, every time I touch you. I’ve been denying it for so long, but now I finally have to face it. And you do, too. I’m in love with you, and I know that you’re the one for me.”
A tear rolled down Serena’s cheek. “I have to go,” she said, her voice shaking. “Blair’s probably wondering where I am.” S ran up the steps and rushed into the building. Nate called after her, but every time he said her name, she just ran faster.
When she was gone, Nate sighed and went back outside. He couldn’t go back to the party. His evening was ruined. Sitting down on the building steps, he put his head in his hands.
Suddenly, a figure in a long blue coat appeared before him. “I couldn’t help but notice what just happened,” the person said, sitting down next to Nate. “And I know how to make her yours.”
Nate looked up at the person. He’d seen her before. “Oh, yeah? And how is that?” he asked doubtfully.
“By getting rid of a certain Dan Humphrey, of course.” Nate stared at the girl. Then he remembered who she was; that friend of Dan’s, Vanessa Abrams.
“Keep talking,” he said, giving her his full attention.
“All you have to do is tell Dan about what happened tonight. Only, of course, make it so the girl was the one in love with you. When he realizes what his little girlfriend has done to him, they’ll break up, and he’ll never trust her again. And with Dan out of the picture, you have a perfect chance at her.”
Nate sat, thinking about what Vanessa had just said. Her plan could work. But he knew she wanted something out of it, too. “And what’s in it for you?” he asked.
“Well, you can have Serena, and I’ll take Dan. He’ll never believe me if I was to tell him what happened, but he might listen to you.”
“So, we break them up, I take S, and you have the boy?”
“Precisely. It’s a win-win for all of us; we both know those two don’t belong together, and never will. So, Mr. Archibald, do we have a deal?” Vanessa held out her hand, looking at him hopefully.
Nate reached for her hand, and shook it. “Deal.”

Chapter 24 -Part 1

2007-12-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

Chapter 24
Part 1

Blair slipped gracefully down the stairs, entering the foyer. The maids and waiters were in a frenzy, putting the finishing touches on everything.
The foyer had been laid with elegant little tables and fruity drink bars. The room was colourful and bright, with an abundance of flowers: yellow roses, pink tulips, and white hydrangeas, all in extravagant bouquets. Half of the maids were dashing in and out of the kitchen, bringing trays to the buffet, while the other half were rushing around, setting every table and adjusting the centerpieces.
Running her hands across the smooth, white tablecloth, B glided towards her mother, who was barking last-minute orders at the staff. Noticing her daughter, Eleanor smiled, pleased.
“You look lovely, dear.”
“Thank you.” Blair smiled she adjusted the pearly white bow in her hair. “When will the guests start arriving?”
“In a few minutes. I was just making sure everything is perfect.”
“Of course.” Blair noticed the buzzing of her tiny handbag. Removing her cell phone, she excused herself. It was a text from Chuck.

Looking forward 2 tonight. ;)

Blair smiled, and quickly texted back: I know. But let’s keep us on the DL; I don’t want N to know just yet.
“Blair! Come over here this instant! Do you think the curtains look better drawn back halfway, or all the way?” Sighing, Blair put away her cell and started back across the foyer to her mother, even though she didn’t think curtains were going to be what would make this night perfect.

“Hey.” Serena stepped into the Humphrey loft, just as Dan reached the door.
“Awesome. You’re here.”
“Here I am.” Serena smiled as she kissed Dan’s cheek. “You ready for tonight?”
“Actually, I needed to talk to you about that. Someone came to the gallery a few weeks ago, and they’re interested in buying a painting. My dad asked me to come and help him make the sale. I hope you understand.”
“Oh, of course. Family first,” Serena said, although looking a little disappointed.
“Hey,” Dan said softly, lifting up her chin. “I’ll make it up to you.”
Giving him a small smile, Serena said, “You better.”
“Plus, I wasn’t that stoked about going to Waldorf’s dinner thing, anyway. Not exactly my scene.”
S laughed. “It’s not really mine either, but I gotta be there for her, you know?” Dan nodded.
“But we’ll just do something later, right?” Serena raised her eyebrows at him, and leaned in for a kiss. It was short, but meaningful.
“Of course,” Dan said, opening the front door. “But I can still drop you off there. I wouldn’t want any random guys hitting on you on your way to Blair’s. After all, you do look fantastic.”
“And you’re Dantastic,” Serena laughed, as he put his hand around her waist.
“Good one,” he said, smiling warmly at her.

Serena had been the first of Blair’s friends to come. There were some adults Mrs. Waldorf had invited, but no one B knew.
S was just telling her best friend about what happened with Dan.
“Wait, so you actually said Dantastic?” Serena laughed, nodding. Blair rolled her eyes. “Gag,” she said, sounding disgusted. “You’re so uncool, S.”
“Dan didn’t seem to mind,” Serena insisted.
“Oh, right, because Dan Humphrey really decides what’s cool.” The girls laughed. The elevator door opened, and more adults came pouring out. When they had all left, Jenny Humphrey slowly emerged from the elevator.
“Jenny!” Blair called as she waved. Smiling shyly, J made her way past the groups of talking people towards their table.
The girls enjoyed talking until Is and Kati showed up, as well as some other kids from Constance Billiard and St. Jude’s. Chuck came after the party was in full swing, and glided his way over to Blair’s table where she was talking to some juniors she had invited. Slipping into the seat beside her, Chuck kissed B’s hand.
“Looking lovely as always, Miss Waldorf,” he said in his gentleman way.
“Why, thank you.” Blair smiled at him.
“Although, I must say, I prefer you in diamonds instead of pearls, for reasons I am sure you are aware.” Giving her his signature smug look, Chuck gestured to the small pearls embroidered on her dress.
“Well, you’ll be happy to know,” Blair said quietly as the juniors moved off, “that I am not as thoughtless with my wardrobe as you would think.” B reached under her collar, pulling out the gorgeous diamond necklace she was wearing underneath. Chuck smiled at her slightly as she tucked it back in.
“Our little secret,” she whispered. Chuck leaned forward.
“Our dirty little secret,” he corrected, running his hand up her thigh under the table. Blair looked into his deep brown eyes, the tiniest smile on her lips. Gracefully, she rose, and walked over to where Serena was talking with Jenny. Turning around just as she reached them, Blair winked at him.

Chapter 23

2007-12-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

Chapter 23

“Blair, darling, I’m telling you, Nate will simply love you in this dress.” Eleanor walked into the room, carrying a white vintage dress lined with pearls. She held it up in front of Blair as they stood in front of a large mirror.
“I told you already, Mother,” Blair sighed, “Me and Nate broke up. For good.”
Smoothing out the dress, Eleanor said, “Exactly. And this is the perfect way to win him back.”
“But I don’t want him back! I broke up with him! Besides, I already have someone else.”
“Darling, a lady doesn’t run from man to man,” Mrs. Waldorf said, frowning. “It is most…”
“Unladylike?” Blair finished. Her mother nodded, and Blair walked over to her bed. Sitting down, she looked wearily at the white pearled dress. “Mother, I don’t care. I want nothing more to do with Nate Archibald. End of story.”
“Well,” Eleanor said, placing the dress down on a chair, “I suppose it’s a bad thing that Nathaniel will be coming to the dinner party.”
Blair stared at her mother, shocked. “What?”
“Yes. I invited him and his mother over. Mrs. Archibald’s invitation was out of sympathy for her husband, of course, but Nate really wanted to come.”
Blair put a hand to her head and fell backwards into the soft sheets. “Mother…”
“Blair, I will have no more of this nonsense. Nathaniel is coming to this dinner party, and you will be a sweet and courteous hostess. You know what I expect of you, my dear.”
B glared at her mother. Mrs. Waldorf gave her a tight-lipped smile, and handed her the white dress.
“This one, then?”
Sighing, Blair nodded.

“I’m still surprised that Blair agreed to invite me to her party,” Nate said, adjusting his tie. “You know, she’s not a virgin anymore. Well, at least that’s what she told me.”
Chuck and Nate were up in his room, trying on their suits for the dinner party. Chuck had selected a bright red bow tie; the very same one he had worn during a certain first date.
“Maybe she just lied to you,” Chuck said. “You know, she didn’t want to look like a loser in front of you.”
“Maybe...” Nate took out his cell phone. No messages again. “Hey, do you know anything about yesterday? I asked Serena to meet me for lunch, and she never showed.”
“Of course not. But Serena van der Woodsen isn’t the most reliable person in the world.”
“Yeah, but she is pretty hot.” Chuck raised his eyebrows at Nate, who avoided his stare.
“Uh huh,” Chuck said, still looking at Nate. “Sure is.”

“So are you coming with me to Blair’s dinner party?” Serena was in a cab, going to pick up some accessories from Tiffany’s.
“Well, you know how I’m usually against that kind of thing, but sure.” Serena laughed. “Dan, I promise, it won’t be as bad as some of the other parties we’ve been to.”
“Oh, you mean like the Bass Brunch? That was the worst morning of my life.” Serena laughed again.
“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad. I mean, besides Blair getting pissed at me, Blair almost telling you about me and Nate, Chuck blurting it out instead, and us breaking up, it was a pretty fun day.”
“Don’t forget the part where I shoved Bass into a waiter. That was my favourite part.”
“Oh, yes, how could I forget? You sure love beating on him, don’t you?”
“Well, anything to protect Jenny.”
“Hmm, yes. But I don’t think you’ll need to protect Jenny from him anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but Chuck kind of has a thing for Blair.”
“You mean, Blair Waldorf? The girlfriend of Chuck Bass’s best friend?”
“Hey, I never said he would stop being himself.”
Dan laughed. “That guy never ceases to amaze.”
Serena smiled. “That’s what everyone says.”

Well, the Waldorfs are hosting a dinner party in a few days, and all our favourite UESers are getting ready for the special night. We hear N was invited, against B’s will. This should be... interesting.
V’s been flying under the radar lately; we’re guessing her next attack on SVDW will be silent and sweet. Well, not for Serena, of course.
And what about our notoriously devilish Chuck Bass? What will he be planning for the evening? Well, we know what he’ll be wearing. And someone should tell him that red bow ties and hydrangea corsages don’t go together.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Chapter 22

2007-12-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

Chapter 22

Nate woke up at noon with a spitting headache. After the Jenny ordeal, he had ordered almost as many drinks as Chuck had. After drowning himself in scotch, he had rented a hotel room. Mrs. Archibald wouldn’t have been pleased if Nate had come home.
After taking some aspirin, N checked his phone. No messages. He thought about calling Blair, but decided on Chuck instead.
“Hey, man,” Nate said into his phone. “Quite a night that was.”
“I’ll say.”
“Do you know where Blair went? We kind of broke up.”
“Um, I think she went home. Too heartbroken, you know?”
“Yup. Well, just as long as some other guy didn’t snatch her up.”
There was a pause.
“Speaking of that, everyone’s been talking about the little video of you and a certain Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl,” Chuck said finally.
“Oh yeah, I should probably go and apologize to her. And Blair.”
“Why bother with Blair? You guys broke up. Again. Don’t you think it’s time to just end it for good?”
Nate paused. “Chuck, I love her.”
“Sure. You’re as in love with her as I am,” Chuck said sarcastically, but a little cautiously.
“Whatever. Maybe I can talk to Serena or something.”
There was another pause.
“About Blair, of course,” Nate added. “You know, see if she can help get me and Blair back together.”
“Sure. That’ll work perfectly.”
Nate sighed. More sarcasm. Hanging up, N went to get his coat. Serena’ll help me, he thought to himself. Sure she will; we’re friends. And if anyone knows Blair, it’s Serena van der Woodsen.

Serena rounded a corner and rushed straight into Chuck Bass.
“Going somewhere?” Chuck asked as he picked up the handbag S had dropped. Handing it to her, he raised his eyebrows.
“Actually, yes. But I’m kind of running late.”
“Really? And who are you meeting up with?”
“Nate. We’re meeting for lunch.” Serena started to move off, but Chuck stopped her.
“Hold on there, van der Woodsen. What are you doing with Nate Archibald?” Serena sighed. Chuck looked at her, extremely suspicious.
“I’m just going to meet him to talk about Blair. Apparently, he wants me to help him find a way to get back with her.”
“…Do you want them back together?” Chuck asked cautiously.
“Well, not really. I mean, Nate’s been such a bad boyfriend in the last while, and B could do so much better. I just want her to get over him and move on. Why? Do you?”
“Well, I agree about Nathaniel being terrible lately. Plus, he’s hanging onto a dream. Like Blair and him will ever be really together again after all he’s done to her. I think she should just leave him forever.”
“…So she can be with you?” Serena asked suspiciously. C glared at her. “Oh, come on, Chuck. It’s so obvious that you want her. And I know about B not spending last night with Nate. She told me everything.”
Chuck sighed. “Alright, maybe I don’t want her to be with Nate. But it’s not because I want her to be with me; I just want her to be happy. And if I make her happy, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Serena laughed. “I never knew you could actually care about someone, Bass.”
“I care about people!” Chuck insisted. “I care about you, don’t I? I mean, I held your secret for so long.”
S rolled her eyes. “The only reason you didn’t tell people about me and Nate was because you didn’t want people to be disgusted at you for watching.”
“Serena, since when do I care if someone thinks I’m disgusting? It’s who I am.” Chuck’s eyes narrowed at her.
“No, it’s who you’ve decided to be.” Serena lifted her bag to her shoulder. “I’ll see you later. I’m already late.” She started to walk off again, but Chuck put his arm in front of her.
“Tell you what,” he said to her. “If you agree to ditch Nathaniel, I’ll take you out to lunch.”
“What an honour,” Serena said sarcastically, crossing her arms.
“Come on. You know you’d rather go out with me than him anyway.”
“Oh, yes. I want you so bad.”
Chuck smiled at her. “Of course you do.”
“I don’t think Dan will like you very much for this,” Serena said as Chuck started leading her down the sidewalk.
“He never really liked me that much anyway. Jealous, I think.” Serena laughed as they headed towards a nearby restaurant.
“I have a feeling you won’t be much of a favourite for very long, Bass,” S said, grinning, “if you continue stealing everyone’s girls.”
“Hey,” Chuck smiled back. “It’s who I am.”

What an interesting morning this has been. B has finally seen my video, but has not yet had the courtesy to comment. What’s wrong, Waldorf? Not scandalous enough for you? Well, how about this for some juice: we heard N tried to have a little lunch date with your best friend. Fortunately, a certain Bass was able to persuade S from meeting with him. Better watch it, B; it’s like the Spice Girls say: If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends. And applying these words of wisdom to your situation, it looks like Nate is trying his absolute best to be your lover.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Chapter 21

2007-12-20T17:07:00.000-08:00

Chapter 21

Vanessa stormed into the Humphrey loft. Dan had ditched her just 10 minutes into the ball the previous night, and had never come back, or called her.
“Hey Vanessa,” Rufus said calmly, picking up a plate of waffles. He carried them to over to the table, and sat down. “What’s up?”
“Is Dan here?” Vanessa asked, trying to hide the angry tone in her voice. “I really need to talk to him.”
“Actually, I think he’s out with Serena.” Rufus put a piece of waffle into his mouth.
Vanessa was shocked. “S-Serena? Serena van der Woodsen?”
“The one and only.” He went to get a glass of milk from the kitchen. “She came by here a while ago to pick him up. Unfortunately, she didn’t stay for breakfast. Said she’d already went out. I swear, I’m beginning to think that girl doesn’t like my waffles.”
Vanessa gave him a strained smile. “Well, I guess I’ll talk to him later,” she said. “Be sure to tell me if he comes back soon.”
“I will. But are you sure you don’t want anything?” Rufus pointed to a pile of waffles on the counter.
“No thanks. I’m not hungry,” Vanessa said, sounding a little bitter. She exited the apartment, leaving Rufus to wonder at what she had been so mad about. Shaking his head, he continued to eat his breakfast in peace.
Outside, V pulled out her phone. She punched in Dan’s number, almost breaking the buttons with the force of her anger.
No answer.
Vanessa was getting more pissed off by the second. First, he stands her up at a party she didn’t even want to go to in the first place, and never comes back. Then he doesn’t call her or make any attempt to communicate. And then, he even gets back with Serena without even telling her! And V knew there was only one person who could have made all this possible. Van der Woodsen.
Spotted: Serena and her Lonely Boy on a nice walk through the city. They were laughing and having fun, just like old times. *Gags*. I’m kidding. I love Darena. The UES doesn’t have enough sweet, innocent love. In fact, I don’t think it has any. Good going for S and D. Unfortunately, I have yet another feeling that their love may not last that long; an extremely upset Vanessa Abrams was spotted leaving the Humphrey Palace (okay, exaggeration much?), and it doesn’t look like S is on her “Be Nice To” list. We wish SVDW luck; she’s gonna need it if she wants to hold her man.

Blair arrived home and went straight up to her room. She was anxious to figure out what Gossip Girl was talking about when she mentioned a must-see video. B was hoping for the best.
Logging on, she went to GG’s homepage. Finding the video, she clicked ‘Play’.
It was a live stream someone had taken at the Vintage Ball on their cell phone. It was only a few seconds long, but Blair paid close attention. She could clearly see Nate and Jenny standing in front of one of the tables. And then, Nate mumbled something and kissed her. Jenny pushed him away, sounding shocked. She grabbed her stuff and left. The video ended with a little addition Gossip Girl had put on; it said: True Love <3… or not.
Blair put a hand to her mouth. She was shocked. How dare Nate hit on Jenny like that! B could tell that Little J had wanted to stop, and obviously hadn’t started it as Nate was the one who was doing the kissing, so she didn’t hold Jenny responsible. But Blair was fuming inside at the thought of what Nate had done to her.
At least with Chuck, it wasn’t spontaneous and pointless. Well, maybe at the beginning. But the last few times they had been together, Blair could definitely feel the meaning. Well, Blair thought, this’ll make breaking the bad news to him oh so much easier.
Blair got her purse and headed back out the door. She needed to see Jenny.

After greeting Rufus at the door, Blair went to J’s room. Opening the door, she walked in carefully. Jenny was lying on the bed, her eyes closed. Music was playing from a boom box at one corner of the room. Blair listened:
…Cold, as fire, baby, hot as ice; if you’ve ever been to heaven— this is twice as nice…
“Britney Spears much?” Blair said, leaning against the wall. Hearing her, Jenny quickly got up, rushed over to the boom box, and took out the CD.
“It was a gift,” Jenny said, putting it in the case and stuffing it in the drawer of her desk.
“Sure,” Blair said sceptically. She laughed a little, and walked over to J. “It’s okay, Little Jenny. Everyone loves a little Britney comeback every once in a while. I just wish her new song wasn’t so… 80s. It reminds me of the music in the workout videos my mom used to watch. Gross.”
Jenny laughed. “Yeah, I guess the song is a little… dated. But maybe her new CD’ll really become a hit.”
“I certainly hope not. In the words of Gossip Girl, ‘Ugh. Please, gimme less.’” Both girls laughed.
“So, speaking of Gossip Girl…” Jenny said nervously.
“Don’t worry about it. I saw the video, and I’m not mad at you. I could tell it was all him.”
“I’m sorry, Blair,” J said quietly.
B sighed. “It’s okay. We broke up that night, you know.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” Blair studied Little J’s face. She looked relieved at the fact that Nate hadn’t tried cheating on B with her. “But,” Blair continued, winking at her, “I’ll have you know I didn’t spend the night alone.”
“Let me guess; you and Chuck?” Blair nodded almost proudly as Jenny rolled her eyes. “Bragging much?” she teased.
“Actually, yes,” Blair said, grinning. “He is pretty adorable, except for the date rapist thing.”
“Well, I don’t know if ‘adorable’ is the right word for him,” J said, smiling. “But he was pretty good when I danced with him last night. In fact, he kind of seemed… nice. Like he was… well, not in a good mood, but not as intimidating as usual.”
“That’s strange,” Blair said thoughtfully. “Serena said he’d had quite a few drinks, and Chuck’s actually pretty dangerous when he’s drunk. But when I talked to him after me and Nate broke up, he was definitely softer than the Chuck Bass we all know and hate.”
“Yeah,” Jenny replied. “Well, maybe he was happy to see you.”
“I think he was just happy to see me without Nate.” Blair smiled as she thought of how perfect her night with Chuck was. It certainly made up for the not-so-devastating break up earlier on. “And of course,” Blair added, “I was happy to see him without a heartbroken look in his eyes.”
Jenny raised her eyebrows at Blair. “I know what you’re thinking,” B said, smiling. “Chuck Bass doesn’t have a heart. But maybe he actually does. Deep, deep down under all that perverted-ness.”
Jenny laughed, but a part of her believed in what Blair had just said. The part that knew, everyone has a soft side; even Chuck Bass.

Chapter 20 -Part 2

2007-12-20T17:06:00.000-08:00

Chapter 20
Part 2

“So, what did you and Nate do last night? I mean, did you…” Serena asked as she sipped her orange juice. They were at a little breakfast restaurant in the middle of Manhattan, and S had just finished telling Blair all about her evening with Dan.
“Actually,” Blair said slowly, “I didn’t spend the night with Nate.”
Serena looked confused. “What? Why not?”
“We… we broke up.” Blair looked down at her lap.
“Then… where did you spend the night? I know it wasn’t at home; I called and your mom said you never came.”
“Well, me and Chuck…” Blair smiled shyly at her friend, embarrassed.
“Blair!” Serena said, astonished.
“What? It’s not like we haven’t done it before.” Blair bit into a croissant. She really didn’t want Serena to freak out again.
“Oh, Blair…” Serena sighed.
“Excuse me? One minute, you’re shocked and ashamed, and the next you’re telling me he loves me, and then you’re back to shocked again? Make up your mind, Serena!”
“Blair, I’m not upset. I just; I don’t know. Again?”
“Yes, again. But this time it was different. When I woke up this morning, I didn’t feel disgusted at myself. It felt… right.”
“Well, I just hope you don’t end up regretting it. Otherwise, you’ll have quite a problem on your hands.” Blair nodded in agreement. “And plus, Nate doesn’t even know yet, does he?”
“I don’t think so. But Gossip Girl sent me a text last night saying I should watch a video on her site? Do you know anything about it?”
“No, sorry. I haven’t seen it yet. But knowing Gossip Girl, it must be pretty scandalous.”
“I know. I’m kind of worried. I just hope it doesn’t have anything to do with me.”
“Well, I wish you luck.”
Blair smiled. “Thanks. I’m gonna need it. I still really need to deal with this whole Chuck thing. It’s been over a week since my party, and Nate’s bound to find out sometime.”
“Yeah. But how are you going to tell him? That isn’t the kind of conversation that’s easy.” Serena popped a grape into her mouth.
“I know,” Blair said, sighing. “I just want Chuck to do it; that way Nate doesn’t blow up in my face.”
“Yeah, but if you let Chuck do it on his own, he’ll totally get murdered.”
“Definitely. I just wish there was some way to let Nate know without having him totally freak out!”
“Good luck finding one. There’s no easy way to tell your ex-boyfriend that you left him for his best friend.”
“I didn’t leave him for Chuck! I just, sort of, broke up with him, and then went to his best friend. They’re two totally different things.”
Serena raised her eyebrows at Blair as she put another grape into her mouth. “Uh huh,” she said sarcastically. “Sure.”

Chapter 20 -Part 1

2007-12-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

Chapter 20
Part 1

Blair woke up, looking around, trying to remember where she was. But she wasn’t wondering for long. She instantly recognized the white candles and purple throw pillows. And the sleeping Chuck Bass beside her.
Sighing, Blair ran the events of the previous night through her mind.
She wasn’t disappointed.
She had accepted Jenny back, but she would find out later if that was the right choice. Blair just hoped for the best. She had finally ended it with Nate, which she knew was the right choice considering all the things he had done to her and how many second chances she had given him. And then there was Chuck. For the first time, Blair didn’t feel disgusted at what she had done. She wasn’t sure what to do next, but she knew it wouldn’t be getting mad at Chuck. She had willingly started the whole thing. And he had again asked her if she was sure. She loved that.
Hearing the rustle of the bed sheets, Blair turned to look beside her. Chuck was awake. He opened his eyes lazily at her.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said, smiling.
“Good morning,” Blair replied cheerfully, giving him a satisfied look. “Quite a night that was.”
“Yes, definitely didn’t go as I had expected. I was pretty sure you’d end up in Nate’s bed this morning.”
Blair laughed. “How wrong you were.”
“Well, I knew you’d turn back to me eventually. Once you’ve had a sample, you can’t help but go for seconds. Or in this case, thirds.” Chuck gave her a cocky grin.
“Hmm, well, you do give out free samples. I thought it was about time I tried what everyone was raving about.”
“Yup. And now you’re hooked.”
“Whatever. It’s not like I enjoy keeping you from your hotel maids. They must miss you.”
Chuck laughed. “Yeah, I bet they were very disappointed this morning when they found out they actually had to clean.”
“It’s probably not their favourite activity,” Blair added. Chuck smiled at her. She smiled back.
“Thanks for making last night unforgettable,” Blair said, kissing his cheek.
“Well, I am extremely hard to forget.” Chuck grinned as B got out of bed. Getting dressed, she went to her purse and took out her cell phone. There was a text from last night.

Better find a computer soon, B. I’ve got a must-see video just for you. –GG

Sighing, Blair closed her phone.
“What?” Chuck asked, raising his head from the pillow to look at her.
“Nothing. Just a text from Gossip Girl.”
“What’s it say?”
“Something about a video. I don’t know.”
“That’s Gossip Girl. You never truly know.”
“Yup. I gotta get doing, though. I promised to have breakfast with Serena this morning. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay. Call me when you get home, and I’ll show up spontaneously. It’s what I do.”
“Well, it’s not very spontaneous if you tell me about it the day you do it.” Chuck looked at her. “Who said I was showing up today?” Blair rolled her eyes and headed for the door.
“But for you, I’ll make it today. I know you’ll just go insane if you can’t be with me for more than a few hours.”
Blair turned to look at him. “Please,” she said. “I just went without you for like, two whole days.”
“You had Nate to distract you. God, I hate that guy.”
“He’s your best friend,” Blair said, laughing.
“Yup, and he’s your newly-ex-boyfriend. And we’ve betrayed him forever.”
Blair grinned at him. “We’re so sinful.”
“Yes indeed. I almost feel… sorry, for Nate. Oh wait, never mind. That’s just the hangover.”
Laughing, Blair left the suite. Chuck was much more entertaining that Nate ever was. And she knew her relationship with his best friend was going to be very entertaining once N found out.
“Ah, the life of the rich and scandalous,” Blair said to herself as she exited the Palace and hailed a cab.

Chapter 19 -Part 6

2007-12-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

Chapter 19
Part 6

When Nate entered the hallway, it was empty. He could have sworn he heard Blair’s voice outside. Forgetting it, Nate entered the elevator. When he reached the ballroom, he spotted Jenny. She had just been dismissed by a handsome 10th grader with whom she had been dancing. Hurrying over to her, Nate pulled J over to a table.
“Have you seen Blair?” he asked.
“No, I thought she was with you. Why?”
“Well, we just broke up.”
“That’s terrible! What happened?”
“I don’t know, Blair got all upset with me. But it’s for the best anyway. Besides, I had my eye on someone else.” Nate winked at Jenny.
Overcome with emotion, J’s heart soared, then sank. Her and Nate? Blair wouldn’t allow it. As much as Jenny had always wanted Nate to notice her, she knew them being together would never happen.
“Nate…” Jenny said slowly, getting up from the table. Nate stood up and moved toward her.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he whispered. He moved closer, leaned down, and kissed her. Jenny struggled, but Nate got a hold of her waist and held her in.
Finally, Jenny was able to push away from him. “Nate!” she said, shocked at what he just did. Before N had another chance to make a move, Jenny grabbed her purse and hurried outside. She hailed a cab and headed straight for home.
Meanwhile, Nate just stood there, confused. Two girls in one night had rejected him? Maybe he was getting rusty.
A girl nearby stopped the video recording on her cell phone. When the clip was saved, she sent it in a text:

Gossip Girl:
Nate & Jenny -poor Blair!

Blair and Chuck had heard Nate coming down the hallway so they had quickly hopped in the elevator and headed to the lobby. Since they didn’t want to risk running into anyone they knew, Chuck had rented them another suite. This one had candles and soft, lavender sheets. When Blair entered the room, she smiled and immediately ran over and flopped down on the huge four-poster canopy.
“Isn’t this bed perfect?” she said, awed, as she rubbed the velvet on one of the throw pillows.
“Well, I think it’d be much better with a couple of half-naked girls on it,” Chuck commented, walking over to the bed. “Or even better, fully naked girls.”
Blair rolled her eyes as he sat down beside her. “But you’re just as wonderful,” Chuck said, smiling.
“Wow, thanks,” she said sarcastically. “But seriously, Chuck! Don’t you just love this room? It’s so romantic.”
“I can be romantic,” Chuck said, flicking off a lamp nearby. The room dimmed. “If you’re into that sort of thing.”
Blair laughed. “Thanks for trying.”
“You are most certainly welcome,” Chuck said. “I don’t do this very often, so you’re lucky.”
“The luckiest girl in the world,” Blair said, beaming. “Chuck, I’m so glad you’re here to look after me.”
“Is that all I am to you? A babysitter?” Chuck flopped down on the bed beside B.
“You know what I mean.”
The both smiled at each other. Suddenly, Chuck remembered something.
“Where’s your ring?” he asked.
“What ring?”
“The one Nate gave you; the family heirloom one.”
“Oh, that ring.”
“Didn’t you wear it tonight? I thought you would, considering you and Nate were ‘back together’.”
“I just didn’t feel like wearing it.”
“Hmm.”
“What? Why do you care, anyway?”
“Well, I just thought you would wear it considering how much you love him.” Chuck looked at her.
“I don’t love him. And I think I knew it all along; maybe that’s why wearing the ring didn’t feel right.”
“Well, I’m glad. I hated seeing you wear that ring.”
Blair looked at him, her eyebrows raised. “Were you jealous?”
“Of course not. I just thought the ring was really ugly.” Chuck stared straight ahead into the dim room. Blair laughed.
“Right. Sure.” Blair shuffled across the bed to lie next to him. She rested her head on his chest. “You are such a jealous boyfriend,” she teased, looking up at him.
“Again, you wish.” Chuck smiled down at her.
“I sure do.”
Blair scooted up and kissed him. Chuck pulled her up on top of him, sliding his hands up the backs of her thighs. Her legs were smooth and warm. Blair pushed back the collar of his jacket, wrapping her hands around his neck.
Never before had Blair felt so good. With Chuck holding her close, she felt safe in his arms. It all felt so right. Blair finally realized that with Nate, she had never had that feeling. That feeling that there was nothing else in the world she could possibly do at that moment than be with him.
Suddenly, Chuck pushed her back a little. “Are you sure you won’t regret this later?” he whispered.
“I’ll never regret this,” she whispered back. And with that, Blair smiled and slipped out of her dress.

The Vintage Ball turned out to be more dramatic than we had expected. Lucky for you, I’ve got all the deats.
Serena: Back with Dan, happy as ever.
Vanessa: Left all alone at a party she wasn’t even invited to.
Nate: Left single and still standing. But we have some news that might soon knock him off his feet.
Jenny: Heading home, torn up with yet another secret.
And as for Blair and Chuck, well, no one knows about them, but we have a few ideas…

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Chapter 19 -Part 5

2007-12-20T16:55:00.000-08:00

Chapter 19
Part 5

Serena was sitting at her table alone. Blair had gone off with Nate, and Jenny was dancing with another freshman. She sighed, and looked around. Suddenly, she saw the last couple she thought would ever show up.
Dan and Vanessa.
Staring wide-eyed at them, Serena was shocked. How dare they! Serena was pretty sure they weren’t even invited.
Seeing S gaping at her, Vanessa dismissed Dan and walked over to Serena. “Well, well, well,” Vanessa said in a noticeably fake sweet voice. “I didn’t expect you to show up; least of all, dateless.” V looked around, pretending to search for Serena’s date.
“Well, I didn’t expect you to show up either,” Serena replied, narrowing her eyes. She so didn’t want to do this tonight.
“I couldn’t let Dan down,” Vanessa said. “I know how much he loves a good old fashioned Upper East Side party.” Serena stared at her, a bitter look in her eyes. She knew Vanessa had dragged Dan here, insisting that S wouldn’t show up. And of course, the only reason she had done that was to rub Dan in Serena’s face.
Serena smiled. “Excuse me,” she said sweetly, rising from the table. Vanessa looked after her, amused.
S rushed into the bathroom, getting out her lip gloss. She fixed her makeup and hair to be perfect, and then ran back out. Luckily, Vanessa was still mingling with some of the richer kids. Spotting Dan alone near the entrance to the ballroom, Serena gracefully strode over to him.
“Dan,” she said, acting genuinely surprised. “I didn’t expect to see you here! I thought you hated these events.”
“Uh, hi, Serena. I, uh, I didn’t know you were going to be here either.”
“Well, you know me,” Serena said, beaming. “I can never turn down a good party.”
“Um, yeah.” Dan looked past her, probably for Vanessa. Realizing small talk wasn’t going anywhere, Serena decided to use the direct approach.
“Dan, actually, I wanted to talk to you about us.” Dan turned to her quickly, surprised.
“Why? I thought you dumped me. Don’t you want nothing to do with me?”
Serena stared at him, confused. “What? I thought you broke up with me.”
“How did you get that idea?” Dan was just as bewildered as she was.
“Well, Vanessa came by a while ago and said you were dumping me. She said you realized I wasn’t the type of girl you wanted.”
“But how can that be? She came by and told me that you were kissing some other guy, and that you realized I wasn’t the type of guy you wanted!”
“What? But I didn’t say that! And I definitely didn’t kiss any other guy!”
“Well, if you didn’t break up with me, and I didn’t break up with you, then why would Vanessa lie to both of us like that?”
“To split us up, maybe? I mean, she kept going on about how you rejected me for her.” Serena looked over to where Vanessa was laughing with another girl from Constance Billiard. Good, Serena thought. She hasn’t noticed us yet.
Dan thought for a moment. He ran everything through his mind, and realized what Vanessa had done. “I can’t believe she would do that! She knew how much I cared about you. And she just broke us up so she could have me! Who would do that?”
“Vanessa Abrams would do that,” Serena sighed.
“I’m so sorry, Serena! I never should have believed her in the first place.”
“That’s okay. At least we know now, and we’ll never let her get in the way of us ever again.” Serena smiled at Dan. He smiled back. They hugged, and he kissed her cheek.
“So what do you think we should do?” Dan asked. “Like, should we tell her that we know?”
“Well, she’ll suspect something if you just stop being her date for the rest of the night,” Serena laughed, adjusting Dan’s necktie.
“Hmm. I guess you’re right. But I don’t feel like getting into a huge feud tonight. To tell you the truth, I’ve missed you so much that all I want to do is be with you.” Dan smiled shyly as Serena looked up at him.
“I feel the same way,” she said softly. “I’ll tell you what; how about we ditch this place?”
“Do you think Blair would mind?” Dan looked worried.
“Probably not. She knows how much I like you, and besides; I think she’s gonna be busy for a while.” Dan raised his eyebrows at her, but she didn’t go on.
“Well, alright then. Vanessa can just hang out here with Blair’s groupies.” They both laughed. “We should stop for ice cream. I’m hungry.”
“Oh, yes, definitely,” Serena said, relieved. “All they have here is salad and sugar-free mints.”
Smiling, the two walked outside together, heading for a nearby ice cream parlour. “I’ve missed you so much,” Dan said as they were walking. “You’re so much funner than Vanessa.” Serena laughed.
“Is ‘funner’ even a word?” she said, looking at him sceptically.
“Probably not, but it’s funner than saying ‘more fun’.” They both laughed as they continued down the sidewalk.
“I’ve missed you, too,” Serena said after a while. “I definitely didn’t enjoy being single, and I couldn’t muster up the nerves to ask Cedric out.”
Dan smiled. “Well, that’s good for me, then,” he said. “Because that Cedric really knows how to treat a girl.”
Serena laughed and kissed Dan’s cheek. Oh, how good it was to have her boyfriend back.

Chapter 19 -Part 4

2007-12-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

Chapter 19
Part 4

“Woah, dude, slow down.” Nate laughed as he came up to Chuck, who was still gulping down more alcohol. He didn’t want this to be a night to remember.
“What’s the point?” Chuck asked dully, putting down his glass. “It’s not like the evening is going well.”
“Why not? There are tons of girls here, and most of them have packed away a few drinks already.” Nate grinned at his friend.
Chuck gazed over to where Blair, Serena and Jenny were hanging out at a table. “Let’s just say I’m not in the mood for hunting today.”
Nate frowned. “Since when? I swear, Chuck, you get less and less like yourself every day now.” Chuck didn’t say anything; he just ordered another drink, and got rid of it quickly. He got up, and walked over to the girls’ table.
“May I have this dance?” he asked, holding his hand out to Jenny.
“Leave her alone, Chuck.” Serena glared at him.
Chuck looked offended. “What? Can’t I just share a dance with Little Jenny Humphrey over here? Just one dance; that’s all.” Jenny looked nervously at the other girls.
“Fine. But we’re watching you.” Serena eyed Chuck suspiciously as he led Jenny out onto the floor. She could see he’d had quite a few drinks; and a drunken Chuck was a dangerous Chuck. But he only smiled, and moved swiftly across the floor, holding onto Jenny by the shoulder, not the waist like usual.
“Having fun?” he asked Jenny as they moved gracefully across the room. Jenny looked nervous.
“I guess…” she said finally.
“Blair’s taken you back?”
“Yeah, I uh, I guess…”
“Don’t be scared,” Chuck reassured her, noticing how anxious she was. “I don’t hold anything against you. We’re even.”
Jenny relaxed a little, but she still looked uneasy as he dipped her.
When the song was over, Chuck led Jenny back to her table. Blair had started dancing with Nate again, but Serena was still sitting. She eyed Chuck, looking pleased.
“Did I pass the test?” he asked, sitting Jenny back down.
“Surprisingly, you did alright. But luckily for you, the dancing is freestyle. I doubt you could have walked in a straight line, considering all the liquor you’ve stored away.” Chuck narrowed his eyes at her, but smiled.
After Chuck had wandered away, Serena turned to Jenny. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, he was good. Didn’t make the slightest move.”
“That’s strange for him to do. But I guess he’s only got his eye on one girl tonight.” Jenny looked at Serena suspiciously, but S didn’t say any more.

Blair had led Nate off of the dance floor and into a hallway. They were smiling and laughing and kissing.
“This is the most perfect night ever,” Blair whispered, pushing back the collar of his suit jacket.
“It certainly is,” Nate said as they wandered into an elevator, not parting.
After a steamy make out, they arrived on the sixth floor. They stumbled into the hallway and, still kissing, reached Chuck’s suite. Nate opened the door, and they squeezed through, laughing.
Surprised, Chuck rose from the sofa. “Well, well, well,” he said, not moving.
Nate and Blair parted, and stared at him. “Chuck,” Blair exclaimed, “What are you doing here?” Chuck looked at her skeptically.
“Well, this is my suite, isn’t it?” He looked at Nate. “But I see you two need it much more than I do.” Giving Blair one heartbroken glance, he left the room.
Blair sighed. “Maybe,” she said slowly, running her hands down Nate’s chest, “Maybe this isn’t the classiest way to do this. I mean, in Chuck’s room.”
Nate started kissing her neck. “Do you want me to rent our own room, then? Whatever works, right?” He mumbled, slipping his hands around her waist. Blair pushed him away.
“Nate! Maybe tonight isn’t the right time.”
Nate slipped back over to her, and began again. “The right time for what, losing your virginity? Like it matters.”
Blair, shocked, pushed him even harder. “I’ll have you know, I’ve already lost my virginity.”
Nate stepped back. Astonished, he said, “What? To who?”
Blair brushed off her dress. “None of your business,” she said coldly. “But maybe tonight isn’t the right time to do anything, least of all get back together. In fact, I don’t think there ever will be a right time to do that. Nate Archibald, we are over. Forever.”
B stormed out of the hotel room, leaving a shocked Nate standing in the middle of the suite.
As Blair rounded the corner, she saw Chuck leaning against the wall next to elevator. His hands were in his pockets, and he was looking down at the red carpet below him.
“I’m sorry,” Blair said, walking over to him. He looked at her, not saying a word.
“I was so stupid,” she continued. “Getting back together with him was a huge mistake.”
“Well, letting you get back together with him was a huge mistake on my part.” Chuck looked straight ahead. Blair smiled a little.
“You really care about me, don’t you?” she said quietly.
Chuck swung his head over to her. “Please. You wish.” Blair laughed, thinking of their balcony conversation at her birthday party. She hugged him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he leaned his head on hers.
Blair looked up at Chuck after a few silent minutes. “Chuck,” she said, gazing into his dark brown eyes, “I hope you haven’t killed the butterflies.”
Smiling, he leaned down and kissed her.

Chapter 19 -Part 3

2007-12-11T15:57:00.000-08:00

Chapter 19
Part 3

Blair and Serena were in the bathroom fixing their lip gloss, talking about the night.
“Nate is being so perfect,” Blair went on. “It’s amazing! I just really am sorry about Dan.”
“Well, it’s okay. At least now, if he never calls me again, I won’t ever have to deal with Vanessa again.”
“But what I don’t understand is why he dumped you for her! I mean, you’re so much better.”
“Thanks, but I guess he just loved Vanessa all along.”
Suddenly, Jenny came into the restroom.
“Blair,” she said, “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Jenny, I have nothing to say to you and I don’t want to hear a word that you have to say.” Blair made for the exit, but J stopped her.
“Will you just listen to me for a second?”
Serena kissed Blair on the cheek. “Meet me outside later,” she said before leaving. Blair waved, and then turned her attention to Jenny.
B crossed her arms and waited. “Talk.”
Jenny took a deep breath. “Blair,” she began, “I’m sorry for everything I did to you. I didn’t mean for anything to hurt you. The night of your birthday party, Nate and I just talked. We were both on the outs with you, and couldn’t bring ourselves to battle you; not on your birthday. And then, with the picture I sent to Gossip Girl, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I was just so caught up in trying to impress you, that I got carried away.”
Blair stared at Jenny. “You seriously thought giving me and Chuck away to Gossip Girl would impress me?”
“No,” Jenny continued. “I just wanted you to be devastated, and come to me for support. I didn’t think about what would happen after that, and I should have. I only did it so you would need me. Blair, I’ve wanted you to need me for so long. And I was stupid, and willing to do anything to get your attention.” J looked desperately at Blair.
“Fair enough,” Blair said finally. “I appreciate you apologizing and explaining it all to me, but that doesn’t make what you did okay. You betrayed me, Little J. After all I did for you; after everything I handed to you on a silver platter, you decided to throw it all away and ruin me.”
Tears started rolling down Jenny’s cheeks. “I didn’t mean to ruin you, Blair. I just wanted to mean something to you. And there’s nothing in this world I want more than for you to forgive me.”
Blair stared at Jenny, thinking. Finally, she said, “Jenny, if you’re going to live in this world, you can’t betray the people who keep you here. If it weren’t for me, you would still be living your boring little Brooklyn life, and hanging out at Wal-Mart with your loser friends. You need to learn to respect the elite, Little J. They can make you and destroy you with a snap of their fingers. I’ve made you, Jenny, and I really don’t want to destroy you. You have so much potential here; I’d hate to see you give it all away.”
Jenny wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry, Blair. I really am. I… I really want you to accept me. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to accept me.”
Blair sighed. “You remind me of Serena. You completely ruin everything, and then come running back, expecting to be forgiven. Of course, with Serena, she’s my best friend. And she really wanted to change. So I gave her the gift of forgiving her. Now, the question is, are you important enough to me to be forgiven?”
Jenny’s lip quivered. “I really want to be,” she said, her voice shaking.
Blair’s eyes softened. “We’re friends, Jenny. And I want to keep it that way. I don’t want to hate you, because then you’ll have to fight me. And you’re no match for me. You’d get scorned. But I do think our friendship can be salvaged.”
Jenny looked up at Blair. “Really? I mean, thank you so much, Blair.”
“Of course,” B continued, “You’ll need to work for it, but maybe you can be accepted back in.”
“Oh, thank you, Blair! You don’t know how much this means to me!”
“But I’m warning you, Jenny.” Blair’s voice turned cold again. “One more time, and it’ll be suicide. Social suicide, that is. But really, I think that’s the worst kind.”
“Don’t worry. I swear on my life. I’ll never do anything to cross you ever again.” Jenny was smiling and crying, all at the same time.
“You better not. Because I just gave you your last chance, and you don’t know how unforgiving I can be.”
“I promise, Blair. No more. I’ll be faithful and loyal to you forever.”
Blair smiled. “Good.” She held out her arms. Jenny came running into them. After a very emotional hug, the two went back outside. Serena saw them, and came over. Blair explained to her what happened.
“Well, that’s good,” Serena said, relieved. “I just hate it when someone’s on your bad side, Blair.” The girls laughed, and headed back into the crowd. Jenny, now newly accepted back into Blair’s life, followed eagerly.

Chapter 19 -Part 2

2007-12-11T15:55:00.000-08:00

Chapter 19
Part 2
“I’ve missed your smile,” Nate said happily as he gazed at Blair. They were still waltzing across the floor, oblivious to the rest of the world.
Blair giggled and kissed his cheek. Oh, how she too had missed this. Just her and Nate. Before Serena; before Chuck. Before anything had happened to jeopardize their love.
Slowly, the couple made their way over to some tables on the edge of the ballroom. Laughing, they sat down.
“This is perfect,” Blair said as she leaned across the table to kiss Nate. He leaned, too, and their lips met halfway to each other. When they parted, Blair smiled. It was too good to be true.

“Go ask her to dance!” Serena was pushing Chuck over to Blair and Nate’s table. “How are you even going to be her friend if you never talk to her?”
With one final push from Serena, Chuck stumbled over to their table. “Um,” he said nervously, glancing at Blair. “May I have this dance?” He held out his hand. Giving him a little smile, Blair accepted.
Swiftly, they moved across the floor. Chuck’s eyes never left Blair. She stared back, studying his content face.
“Tonight is so perfect, isn’t it?” Blair said finally, glancing wistfully back at Nate. He waved.
“Uh, I guess so.” Chuck looked over at Nate. He seemed happy.
“You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” Blair looked back up at him.
“Sure.”
Blair shifted nervously. Chuck wasn’t acting like himself. They danced silently for the rest of the song, and when it ended, Blair went back to Nate and Chuck dashed back to the bar. He ordered another drink and thought miserably of Blair and Nate at the other side of the ballroom, being with each other. This definitely wasn’t Chuck’s perfect night.
Suddenly, Jenny was at his side. She sat down and ordered a virgin cocktail. “Shouldn’t you be off looking for the drunkest and easiest girl here?” she said, sipping her drink.
“They don’t get drunk enough to be easy until later,” Chuck said, swishing his glass around on the counter.
“Then… shouldn’t you be off with Blair?”
Chuck looked up at her in surprise. He glared at her. “She’s with Nate,” he said coldly, swallowing more whisky.
“Chuck… are you and Blair… I mean, did you…”
“No and no. Nothing happened. You may not know me very well, but I’m not as bad as you think.”
“Well, from what I know so far, you aren’t exactly a saint.”
“Humph, yeah, well, nobody is.” Chuck looked over at Blair. She was laughing while Nate was smiling.
Jenny followed his gaze. “Why don’t you try and win her back?”
“What are you talking about? I never had her to begin with! And why does everyone want me to be with Blair so badly? She’s with Nate. And she always will be.” Chuck got up from the bar stool and left. Jenny watched as he made his way across the floor, dodging dancing couples.
(The night went on in a similar way: B and N being the perfect couple, C staring on jealously, S longing for D to show up, and J trying to find a way back into Blair’s heart. Until…)

Chapter 19 -Part 1

2007-12-08T14:33:00.003-08:00

Chapter 19
Part 1

Well, the day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. No, not the grand opening of the latest Sephora downtown. The other one. The Vintage Ball. And I hear it’s going to be a drama-fest. But don’t worry if you miss it; I’ll be there to catch all the details on our most favourite UESers.
This’ll definitely be a night to remember. And you might actually want to head to Sephora on your way there, B, S and J; you’ll definitely need some tear-proof mascara.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Blair and Serena walked into the hotel ballroom, their arms linked. Serena was perfectly coiffed, dressed as none other than Marilyn Monroe. Blair was also looking fabulous in her Audrey Hepburn inspired outfit.
“Had Dan called you yet?” Blair whispered to her friend as she smiled at a passing girl from school.
Serena checked her phone. “No; I don’t think he’ll show up,” she said, sounding disappointed as she stuffed the phone in her clutch.
Nate elbowed Chuck to get his attention. Chuck carefully took a second to balance his glass of whiskey before following Nate’s eye. He was staring at Blair and Serena, but his glance was more towards Serena.
“Check it out,” Nate said. “She looks amazing.”
Chuck raised his eyebrows. “Blair, or Serena?” Nate quickly glanced at his best friend.
“Blair, of course,” he said, as he turned his head back to the girls. Chuck just shook his head.
“Well, come on,” Nate urged, pulling his best friend towards the girls, who were making their way over to the bar. “Let’s go meet them.”
“Actually,” Chuck protested, looking nervously at Blair, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea—” Nate yanked on Chuck’s arm, interrupting him. N dragged his friend across the floor to meet Blair and Serena in the middle of the room.
“You girls look awesome,” Nate said, smiling at both of them.
“You guys look pretty awesome yourselves,” Serena grinned back, looking over the boys’ vintage suits with their little paisley bowties.
Chuck nervously took a gulp from his glass, swallowing all of the liquor. “Um, I’ll be right back,” he said, hurrying back to the bar counter.
“Blair, may I have this dance?” Nate offered his girlfriend his hand. Smiling, Blair took it. As she sashayed across the floor, she gave Serena a look that said, Isn’t he adorable?
Serena smiled, happy for her friend, and made her way over to the bar where Chuck was taking shots.
“Whoa, easy, there. The night’s just begun,” Serena laughed as she took another glass out of Chuck’s hands.
“Trust me; this isn’t going to be one I want to remember.” Chuck watched Blair and Nate move swiftly across the dance floor. Serena looked at his face. His eyes were dull with disappointment.
Serena sighed. “Chuck, this is bad.”
He looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“Well, your feelings for Blair. I mean, she’s dating your best friend, and if he found out, he would never forgive you. You can’t like Blair. You just can’t.”
Chuck glare at Serena. “I don’t have feelings for Blair. I don’t have feelings for anyone. Chuck Bass doesn’t have feelings.”
Serena looked into his eyes. “Chuck, it’s okay to have emotions. You need to stop looking at it as a weakness. And everyone has feelings. You need to accept that.”
Chuck sighed. “I don’t know what to do. I mean, I know Blair’s with Nate, but I can’t bear it. She’s the only person I’ve ever…” His voice trailed off. Serena was silent. She rubbed his arm comfortingly and kissed his cheek.
“Come on. Let’s dance.” S pulled Chuck up from the bar stool and led him out onto the dance floor. She smiled warmly at him as her hands went to his shoulders. Hesitantly, Chuck reached slowly for her waist.
Serena laughed and pulled his hands around her. “It’s okay,” she said, taking her place. Chuck looked at her, and smiled.

Jenny rushed into the ballroom, scanning the crowd for Blair. She spotted her dancing with Nate. Sighing, Jenny started across the dance floor. Suddenly, Is and Kati appeared before her. Jenny was taken aback.
“We don’t think going near Blair is a good idea right now, Jenny,” Is said, smiling.
“Yeah,” Kati added. “Especially since she’s with Nate.”
“Is she… is she still mad?” Jenny asked timidly.
“Of course! She’s always mad until she’s had revenge.”
“Just stay away from her for a while, and watch your back. You wouldn’t want her stabbing it.”
Is and Kati smiled sweetly and walked away. Jenny sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.

Chapter 18

2007-12-08T14:33:00.001-08:00

Chapter 18

NEWSFLASH: The annual Vintage Ball is being held tomorrow, and all our favourite Upper East Siders are getting ready. Well, at least most of them are.
B has been seen on many occasions shopping to complete her perfect Audrey outfit, sometimes with her boyfriend, sometimes with her best friend. Leave it up to Blair Waldorf to drag anybody along just so she can have a second opinion on an accessory she’ll buy no matter what they say.
N has been shopping with a Waldorf in hand, helping to pick out the tux that will match her dress the most. I wouldn’t say young Archibald likes these trips, but it’s something he’s got to deal with if he’s going to be dating our UES Fashion Queen.
C was spotted searching for a tux as well, but we’ve also been seeing him stop outside a certain florist’s to look at the hydrangeas.
Little Jenny Humphrey looks to also be searching for a dress, but let’s just say we don’t expect her to show up in anything from Saks Fifth Avenue. In fact, we don’t expect her to show up at all. But Little J isn’t one to be predictable.
And our favourite It Couple, D and S, seem to be on the outs with each other. In one of my previous posts, I sported photos of Lonely Boy and Vanessa being all couple-y. Gag.
But at least they were sticking to Brooklyn. Without S, Dan is just another little outsider to our big, wonderful UES world.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

“Hey man, thanks for sending those flowers. Blair loved them.” Nate was adjusting his bow tie as he inspected his tux for the Vintage Ball.
“Anything for Blair,” Chuck mumbled, checking his voicemail. No messages.
“Yep. But how did you even know that hydrangeas were Blair’s favourite?”
“Oh, she just mentioned it to me a while ago and I guess it stuck in my head.” Chuck checked his text inbox, too. No messages there, either.
“Well, she thought I sent them, and let’s just say she was extremely overjoyed.” Nate turned in front of the mirror, tugging at his pant leg to take out a fold. Chuck looked up at him.
“You mean… did you guys…” Chuck glanced nervously from Nate to his phone and back again.
Nate laughed. “No, not yet. It has to be perfect, you know?”
“Surprisingly, I would,” Chuck muttered under his breath, slipping his cell into his pocket.
“I’m thinking of ‘sealing the deal’, as you would say, the night of the ball. It’ll be classic and romantic. Plus, I think Blair’s getting a little anxious to lose her virginity.” Nate smiled. Chuck stared at him, wide-eyed.
“Yeah,” he said finally. “Must be.”
“So I’d better make it quick and get it over with. Once I sleep with her, she’ll know that I’m the only one she’ll ever want to be with.” Nate paused to fix his already perfect hair. “Oh, and by the way; you remember that time a while ago when I asked you to find out who that guy was? The one Blair was kissing in that grocery store? Did you find out?”
Chuck examined his fingernails. “Oh, uh, no, she didn’t tell me anything. But I don’t think he’ll be much of a problem now that you and Blair are back together.”
“Yup. I’ve sure got her wrapped around my finger, don’t I?”
“You sure do.”
Chuck began helping Nate with his suit, but when his friend wasn’t looking, young Bass was shooting more dark looks at him than a machine gun could have.

“Which do you think Nate will like better; diamonds, or pearls?” Blair was holding up different necklaces in front of her as she gazed into the mirror. Serena was sitting in an armchair beside her, helping with accessories.
“Well,” Serena said, grinning, “I know what Chuck likes better.” She nodded in the direction of the beautiful birthday present lying on Blair’s dresser.
Blair twirled around to glare at her best friend. “Shut up! I don’t care about Chuck. We’re just friends. Everything with him was just a mistake; he’s selfish and obnoxious, and Nate is the only one I want to be with.”
Serena raised her eyebrows at her best friend’s outburst.
“Pearls it is,” Blair decided, dropping the diamond jewellery back on the dresser. Serena just shook her head.

“Why do you even want to go to this stupid ball, anyway?” Vanessa sat on Jenny’s bed as J twirled around in a frilly, peach-coloured dress.
“Because this dance is going to be wonderful and classy and everything a girl could ever want. Besides a Debutante, of course.” Jenny smiled as she examined the hem in her mirror.
Vanessa sighed. “Balls are stupid. Especially themed ones. I mean, vintage? Come on, couldn’t they have thought of something better than that?”
Jenny glared at her. “I’ll have you know, vintage is in.”
“Oh, yes, and so original,” Vanessa said sarcastically. “I mean, they’ve only done this annual ball since vintage was invented.”
“Whatever. It’s important to Blair, and if it’s important to Blair, it’s important to me. I’ve got to win back her friendship.”
“Humph! Good luck,” Vanessa scoffed. “You’re just a footstool to that girl. Another one of her faithful servants.”
“That’s not true; Blair likes me. And so does Serena, actually. That reminds me; I wonder why she’s not coming.”
“Well, I can answer that. Serena doesn’t have a date.”
Jenny turned around to face Vanessa. “What do you mean? I thought Dan was okay with going with her.”
“He was, until they broke up.” Vanessa smiled as she examined her fingers.
“What? They broke up? Why?”
“Dan finally realized that girls like Serena are, oh, what’s the word? Undateable. They’re far too sl***y to hold onto a guy.”
Jenny looked at her, confused. “What?”
“Serena and Dan are over. Dan found his feelings for me buried deep beneath his dream of that van der Woodsen girl, and now he and I are officially an item.”
“Oh…” Jenny frowned as she adjusted her necklace.

Chapter 17 -Part 2

2007-12-08T14:32:00.002-08:00

Chapter 17
Part 2

Blair knocked gently on the door. She entered the suite.
“Chuck?” she said, peering into the room. Chuck was sitting on the couch, watching TV. When he saw her, he reached for the remote and turned it off.
Blair walked over to him. He looked down at the floor. “You haven’t been out much lately, have you?” Blair asked, smiling slightly. Chuck didn’t say anything.
Blair breathed deeply and sat down next to him. “Chuck, can we talk?”
After a pause, Chuck finally raised his head and looked at Blair. His face was blank. “Did you get the flowers?” he asked.
Blair smiled and gazed off into the distance for a moment. She looked at Chuck, still smiling. “Nate told you about them, didn’t he. Wasn’t that so sweet of him? He’s so good to me.”
Chuck stared at her, confused. “Nate… Nate told you he got them for you?”
“Well, yeah! And Chuck, I’m so happy that you can accept me and Nate being a couple again. I know it must be hard for you, but obviously you’re over it because Nate didn’t even know I liked hydrangeas! You must have told him!”
Chuck stared at her, still confused. Suddenly, he realized what was going on. He smiled weakly.
“Uh, yeah,” he said quietly. Blair grinned and gave him a hug.
“That was sweet of you, Chuck. Helping Nate to redeem himself to me. You’re such a good friend.” She kissed his cheek.
“So we’re cool? You’re okay with everything? And we can still be friends?” Blair smiled hopefully. Chuck looked into her eyes. They were beautiful and sparkling with joy.
“Of course,” Chuck said finally, giving her a little smile.
“And, really, Chuck,” Blair said, taking his hand and playing with his fingers, “I’m sorry if I hurt you earlier.”
“Blair, it’s okay. Besides, I was just shocked you would break a promise. I don’t really care if you’re with Nate or not.”
“Good. Because I didn’t want him to get in the way of our friendship.” Blair got up to leave. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, Blair.”
B smiled at him and went out the door. Chuck leaned back on the couch and sighed. When was it ever going to end?

Chapter 17 -Part 1

2007-12-08T14:32:00.001-08:00

Chapter 17
Part 1

Serena frowned as she closed her phone. She had just called Dan for the fifth time after she left Blair’s, and he hadn’t picked up once. She was just arriving at his loft.
Knocking on the door, Serena entered the apartment. She saw Jenny in the living room with a laptop.
J looked up from her computer. “Hey, Serena. What’s up?”
“Hi, Jenny,” Serena said, walking over to her. “Have you seen Dan?”
“Hmm, yeah, he left like an hour ago. He said it was important. He didn’t say where he was going.”
“Um, okay. Thanks.”
Serena said goodbye to Jenny and left. As she was walking down the Brooklyn street, getting her phone out to make one last call to Dan, she felt it buzzing. Sliding open her LG Chocolate, she saw it was a text from Gossip Girl.
Clicking the text open, she looked at the message. There were four pictures of Dan and Vanessa walking outside, holding hands and laughing. The last picture was of Dan kissing Vanessa’s cheek. She was smiling at him.
At the bottom of the text message, she saw a note:

Better watch out, S. D and V look a little cosier than just friends. –GG

Feeling tears slide down her cheek, Serena closed the phone and shoved it in her coat pocket. She continued quickly down the street, wiping at her eyes every few seconds.

Chuck stepped into the Manhattan floral shop. Picking up a nice, curved vase, he carried it to the counter. “Your finest hydrangeas, please,” he said, taking out his wallet .

Blair and Nate were upstairs in Blair’s room, making out on her bed. Nate began to unbutton B’s shirt, when she pulled away from him and looked into his crystal clear blue eyes. Nate stopped.
“What’s wrong?” N looked confused as Blair lay on top of him, studying his face.
“Nothing. I just…” Blair stopped. She thought about Chuck. She shook her head. Why am I thinking about him when I’m with Nate? Nate is obviously The One. Chuck was a one-time thing. I don’t have feelings for Chuck.
She smiled at Nate. “I was just thinking about how much I’ve missed you.” She leaned back into him and they started kissing again. Nate’s hands slid around her waist and went slowly down her hips. He tugged at the short skirt of her school uniform.
Suddenly, they could hear the maid at the door. “Blair, you have a gift downstairs.”
Blair stopped kissing Nate and got up from the bed. For some reason, she was kind of feeling relieved. It felt weird when she was with Nate. Probably just because we’ve just gotten back together, Blair told herself. That’s got to be it.
“Come on,” Blair said cheerfully, pulling Nate from the bed. “Let’s see what it is.”
Blair descended the stairs, leading Nate by the hand. When she got to the bottom of the staircase, she raised her hand to her mouth.
At the entrance to the penthouse, sitting on the floor, was a beautiful bouquet of flowers. But they weren’t just any flowers.
Blair hurried over and picked up the vase. She examined the bouquet, and then ran back to Nate, careful not to drop the flowers. She set them down on the marble staircase, and smiled at Nate.
“Nate, did you get me these flowers?”
“Well, actually, I—” Blair ran into his arms before he could finish. B hugged him, and although a little confused, Nate hugged back.
“Awe! How did you know hydrangeas were my favourite? That’s so sweet of you! They’re beautiful!” Blair kissed him. Nate decided it was best not to argue.
“I just, I guess I had a feeling,” Nate replied, smiling.
“Well, that’s so considerate.” Blair gave Nate a passionate kiss. “But I have to go. Lots of things to do, you know? Gotta get ready for the Vintage Ball.”
Nate grinned. “Are you planning on taking me?”
Blair smiled back and kissed his cheek. “Of course! Who else would I take?”
B gave her boyfriend one last kiss before rushing out of the penthouse. But as she arrived outside, her thoughts strayed from Nate. Without meaning to, Blair thought of who else she could take to the Vintage Ball. And she couldn’t stop thinking about that person until she arrived at his very hotel.

Chapter 16 -Part 2

2007-12-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

Chapter 16
Part 2

“Oh, Blair! What are you going to do?” B had just explained to S what had happened between her and Chuck.
Blair sighed. “I don’t know! I mean, Nate really does look like he wants to change, and I love that because then I’ll have my boyfriend back, but then Chuck comes in here and ruins everything!”
Serena hesitated. “Maybe,” she said slowly, “Maybe Chuck’s not the one who’s ruining everything…”
Blair looked at her, puzzled. “Do you mean that Nate is the one who’s interrupting something special?”
“Well, I’ve never seen Chuck like this before. You’re all he can talk about. He can’t help it if he likes you, Blair. And Nate just comes storming in and out of your life; maybe it’s time you just let go of him and move on for good.”
Blair replied thoughtfully, “Well, I know you would be honest with me, Serena. I mean, it’s not like you’re telling me to break up with Nate just so you can have him…”
“No, of course not! I love you too much to do that to you, B. Plus, my thing with Nate is over. We’re just friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be. And I’ll make sure of it.”
Blair laughed a little. “Yeah, I know. But I’m torn! I mean, I really want to be with Nate again, because I love him, but Chuck… argh!!! I’m so confused! Why am I thinking about Chuck so much??? He’s perverted and disgusting and totally not my type…”
“Well, maybe that’s what makes you think about him so much. He’s interesting. No offence, B, but Nate is kind of blah.”
Blair thought about that. “Hmm, well, maybe. I mean, maybe just a little.” She laughed. “Yeah, maybe a little with Chuck being interesting and Nate being blah. Yes, I suppose Chuck never ceases to amaze.” B glanced over at her dresser where the diamond necklace sat.
Serena followed her gaze. She walked over to the dresser and picked up the necklace. Blair had told her the truth about it when she had her outburst. Serena held it up to the light, and gazed at it as it glistened and sparkled.
Serena looked back at Blair, still holding up the piece of jewellery. “Does this mean…” she said, glancing at the dangling necklace. “Does this mean you like Chuck?”
Blair stared at her friend for a moment. Then, her gaze shifted to the necklace. She was awed by its beauty. Chuck’s words came back to her. Something this beautiful deserves to be worn by someone worthy of its beauty. Blair sighed. There was something about that necklace… there was something about that quote… there was something… there was something about Chuck. Something Blair loved.
But just because his necklace awes me and his words enchant me, Blair told herself, that doesn’t mean that I love him. Or even like him, in that way.
“No, of course not,” she finally told Serena. “I mean, Chuck Bass? How lower could my standards fall?”
Serena gave her a look that said, You so love him. “Sure,” Serena replied sarcastically. She put the necklace back and walked over to Blair.
“But seriously,” Serena said, sitting down next to her friend. “Chuck is pretty hot. Except, of course, for the date rapist thing.”
Blair laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know what that’s about. But I haven’t seen him with a single girl since that night at Victrola.”
“Really? That’s weird,” Serena said thoughtfully. “Hey, maybe he loves you.”
Blair punched Serena’s arm. “Yeah, right. Come on, Chuck Bass doesn’t fall in love.”
“He also doesn’t sleep with the same girl more than once,” S countered. “Except by accident, of course.”
“Yeah, but he would never betray Nate like that.”
Serena raised her eyebrows. “Or would he? Hey, here’s a not-so-crazy thought: Maybe Chuck’s always loved you, ever since preschool!”
Blair laughed loudly. “Yeah, that’s totally realistic. Come on, Chuck’s never been in love. With anyone. And probably never will be.”
“I don’t know,” Serena said in a sing-song voice. “The way he looks at you… the way you look back…”
“Shut up! I don’t like Chuck, okay? Me and Nate are together now. And I need to make this work. Chuck and I will just have to stay friends. That’s how it’s supposed to be, anyway. This way, Nate will never find out, and Chuck will get to keep his life.”
Serena smiled. “You know, I would laugh at last part if it wasn’t so true.”
“Thanks so much, S. For today. You’re such a good friend.”
“No problem, Blair. But, is it okay if I leave now? I’ve got to go talk to Dan. I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Okay. Call me when you’re not busy.”
“Sure.”
Serena headed towards the door, but suddenly stopped. “Good luck, B. I mean, with Chuck and Nate and everything.”
Blair smiled. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Serena was just heading into the elevator when she called over her shoulder, “Oh, and Bass so loves you.”
Blair laughed and shook her head, but inside, she thought about what Serena had just said. Maybe, Blair thought, Maybe he really does.

Chapter 16 -Part 1

2007-12-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

Chapter 16
Part 1

“Serena?” Blair was sitting back at home. Her mother had gone off to Paris again for a week, and it was the maid’s day off. B had needed some alone time after she got back from the Palace, but what she needed now was her best friend. “Can you come over here? It’s important.”
“Sure, B. I’ll be right over.” Serena could hear the sadness and desperation in her friend’s voice. She quickly got her coat and hurried over to the front door. Suddenly, the door opened.
“Vanessa?” Serena looked at Dan’s friend, puzzled.
“Hey, Serena. Do you have a minute?”
“Well, actually I—”
“Great,” Vanessa interrupted, stepping past Serena into her hotel suite. She gave the place a good look, then swivelled back to S.
“Serena, I’m here for a reason.”
“Really?” Serena rolled her eyes. “I never would have guessed.”
Vanessa sighed. “Scoff if you will, but Dan has finally come to his senses. He’s decided to end it with you like he should have so long ago.”
Serena looked at her guest, puzzled. “Wait, what?”
Vanessa sighed again, rolling her eyes. “You really are as dumb as you look,” she said, sounding irritated. “Dan is breaking up with you. He’s finally realized that his little ‘fling’ with you has been rather pointless, and he’s decided to move on to more appropriate girls. Girls like me.” Vanessa grinned wickedly at S. “Now, I’ll let you go. You probably have some strip club to go to now, anyway. What is it, three-thirty? Four o’clock? Tsk, tsk, Serena.”
Vanessa gave her one last evil smile before gliding out of the hotel room.
All S could do was stare at the door in shock for a few seconds, and then hurry off to Blair’s.

Spotted: V leaving the Palace Hotel, looking like she’d won the biggest prize of all. And maybe she has.
S followed closely behind, heading to B’s place. Poor B. We heard she’s in quite a little heartbreak. But there’s more pain to come, little Waldorf. Is and Kati are hosting this year’s Vintage Ball, where everyone gets to join in on a little blast from the past. The problem is, it’s a tradition that girls always have to ask the boys to the ball. And who will B ask? No one’s sure yet, but when they are, Gossip Girl will be here to spread the news.

Chapter 15

2007-12-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

Chapter 15

“Hey,” Blair said as she opened the door to Chuck’s suite. He was lying on one of the couches, but quickly sat up when he heard her come in.
“Where’s the girl?” Blair teased, looking around the room.
“Funny.” Chuck leaned back on the sofa.
“No, seriously. There’s usually a sl*tty hotel maid or two in here. Aren’t they always on call for you?”
Chuck sighed. “Normally, I would come out with some incredibly witty remark, but not today.” Blair sat down beside him.
“By ‘witty’ I guess you mean ‘perverted’.” She smiled, but Chuck didn’t return the gesture. Blair frowned. “What’s wrong? You’re usually up to this sort of thing. Anything to spill a few disturbing comments, right?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t feel up to it.”
Blair looked seriously concerned. “What’s the matter? Anything happen between you and Nate?”
“No. Not yet, at least. I don’t know; I’m just feeling depressed.”
“Wanna go get a drink then? That usually cheers you up.” Blair grinned and squeezed his cheek.
“No, Blair. I don’t want to do anything right now.” Chuck pulled her hand from his face. He got up, and went to sit on his bed. Blair followed him.
“Seriously, Chuck, what’s wrong? You’re not acting like yourself. I mean, at all.” Blair thought of another time when she had said that. The last time young Bass hadn’t been himself was when he was sweet and caring; but even then he had charm and an appeal to him. Now, he really did look depressed.
Chuck sighed again. “I don’t know… I guess, well…”
Blair looked puzzled. “Well what?” she asked.
Chuck looked at her. She saw something in his eyes… a look of betrayal?
“You promised me you wouldn’t fall back in love with Nate.” Blair was taken aback. Memories of Chuck talking to her about Nate’s plan came flooding back. Blair looked at Chuck. That was why he was upset? Because she had taken Nate back? But why would he care? It’s not like he… Blair’s eyes widened. A realization came to her. Chuck liked her.
But of course; she already knew he liked her. B was reminded of their balcony conversation at her birthday party. But this was different; he actually liked her; it wasn’t just some silly crush. No, Chuck didn’t get crushes. Never.
This was serious.
“Chuck…” Blair looked at his hurt expression. She reached for his hand. Suddenly, just as Blair’s hand was about to reach his, Chuck stood up and headed quickly for the door.
He turned around, his eyes still sad with betrayal. “You know what, Blair?” he said fiercely, “I don’t care. Go live your perfect little life with your perfect little Nate. But it’ll haunt you, B. Everything will. Everything with Serena; everything with us.”
Chuck stormed out of the hotel suite.
Blair sat on the bed, tears pouring down her face.

Spotted: Bass, drunk off his a**. Again. It seems like Chuck has some more woes to drink away. But could it be that our Little Miss Waldorf had something to do with it? We certainly hope so. Chuck hasn’t been this upset since his dad cancelled the strippers at his 16th birthday. Better watch out, C. If you aren’t careful, another Upper East Sider might seek your pain; an Upper East Sider in the form of a best friend. But Gossip Girl has a feeling he won’t be a best friend for very long.

Vanessa stormed into the Humphrey loft. Spotting Dan in the corner watching TV, she ran over to him and flopped down beside him on the sofa.
“Woah, Vanessa, what’s wrong?” Dan looked concerned. “Why were you so desperate to get here?”
“Dan,” Vanessa huffed, trying to catch her breath, “I- I’m so sorry.”
“Wait, what are you talking about?”
“I’m sorry, Dan. I really didn’t want to see you get hurt like this.”
“Vanessa, what are you talking about? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, poor, sweet, Dan. You should know not to trust girls like her.”
Dan looked at his friend, puzzled. “Wait, are you talking about Serena?”
Vanessa nodded, looking upset. “Dan, I saw her after school today. She was flirting with a guy from your school, some rich pretty boy, of course, and… well, Dan, she kissed him.”
Dan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “S-Serena? My Serena?”
Vanessa scoffed, “Well, not really your Serena; not anymore. But Dan, I always knew; I always knew there was something about her. I’m so sorry.”
Dan looked really confused. “You, you saw Serena with another guy?”
“Yes, Dan! Yes, I did! It’s time to face the facts. We’re talking about Serena. Serena van der Woodsen. She’s not exactly the most perfect girl. You need to wake up from this dream and realize that she’s a sl*t. She always has been, and she always will be!”
Dan was taken aback at this. “Don’t you dare call my girlfriend a sl*t! Serena’s changed, okay? She really has.”
“Humph! Tell that to the guy she was kissing. I’m sure he totally didn’t think she was a sl*t while her tongue was down his throat.”
“Okay, that’s it. I’ve had enough. I’m going to go see her about this right now.” Dan got up, but Vanessa grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Dan. I mean, what do you really know about Serena? Nothing. I think it’s time you moved on from your dream with her and started getting into a real relationship.”
Dan sat down, a thoughtful expression on his face. “You really think so?”
Vanessa smiled. “Definitely! Dan, really. How long did you think this would go on for? I mean, Serena van der Woodsen? Be serious.”
“Well, I mean, I guess I was sort of dreaming…”
“Exactly! So I think you should just stay put, and let me handle this. I’ll break the bad news to her. After all, you wouldn’t want to hurt her too much. But you also don’t want to look like the idiot who got cheated on. Don’t worry,” Vanessa exclaimed, beaming, “We’ll show her what a great guy she missed out on.”

Chapter 14 -Part 2

2007-12-04T14:37:00.001-08:00

Chapter 14
Part 2

Jenny wandered around outside the school, looking for someone she knew. She could see Blair on the other side of the campus, chatting with Is and Kati, but knew that she could never go over there. Not after Blair found out what Jenny had done.
Of course, J didn’t blame B for never wanting to see her again. Jenny had turned her in to Gossip Girl, and basically betrayed her. Even after she had been given so many second chances. Jenny was pretty sure her Upper East Sider lifestyle was gone forever. After all, it wasn’t her world anyway. She belonged with the Dans and Vanessas of the city; the normal Brooklyn kids who usually loathed the filthy rich elite. Jenny knew that part of hating the Manhattan crowd was somewhat out of jealousy, but it was also because of the way those kids were. They seemed superficial and not at all sensitive, and always took everything in life for granted. But J knew that there was more to Blair’s circle.
Blair herself had many problems on her hands; more than an outsider could have guessed. Yes, as hard as it was to believe, Blair Waldorf had dilemmas other than not finding the right pair of shoes to match her newest Louis Vuitton bag. And Serena van der Woodsen; that girl had got so caught up in the fast-paced New York life that she had needed an escape. And of course, Jenny thought of Nate. His family was as messed up as anyone’s.
It didn’t matter how rich they were, or how perfect they seemed. In the end, all the Upper East Siders were just people. People like Jenny.
Jenny glanced back at Blair. She tried to keep in mind what she had just told herself, but it was hard to believe. Blair was so tough; sometimes it was extremely difficult to remember her sensitive side. I guess, Jenny thought, when you live in a world like that, you need to stay tough so you won’t get hurt.
Suddenly, Serena was at Jenny’s side.
“Hey,” she said smiling. “Wanna have lunch?”
“Sure,” Jenny replied. “But what about Blair?”
Serena glanced in the direction of her friend. “Well, Blair’s busy right now.”
“Um, okay. But, won’t Blair be mad to see you hanging out with me? I mean, she did tell you…”
“Yeah, she told me about everything. But don’t worry, because I’m the only other person who knows.”
“But, aren’t you mad at me? I mean, for doing that to Blair?”
Serena almost seemed to laugh. “Jenny, I know you got caught up in it all. And I understand. Sometimes, you don’t mean to do it, but you end up trying so hard to get what you want that eventually you lose yourself. Everyone goes through that. All I have to say is that, you’ll regret going through yours with Blair. She can be pretty ruthless. After all, she does trail drama in her wake.”
They both laughed. “Come on,” Serena said. “You can’t each lunch alone, and B will have such a spazz if you go over there. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

S and Little J: taking a lunch break to learn more about each other. But from what I’ve heard, there’s no reason to butter Jenny up, S; it’s not like you’ll be sisters in law anytime soon with V on the prowl.
All I can say is, no one better tell B about her best friend mingling with the enemy. S should be alright; she has valid permission because of her relations with Lonely Boy, but Waldorf has claws; and she’s never afraid of slashing a little freshman reputation.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Chapter 14 -Part 2

2007-12-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

Chapter 14 -Part 1

2007-12-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Chapter 14
Part 1

“Hi, Nate? Look, I’ve thought it over, and, I really would like to start over.” Blair was up in her room getting ready for school. It was a brisk Tuesday morning, and B couldn’t wait to start the day.
“Really? I mean, that’s great, Blair. I’ll see you at school.”
Blair smiled as she hung up. Nate really seemed to be willing to start over fresh, and that could work for her. It would save her the trouble of worrying about her complicated feelings.
Blair got up from her vanity desk and walked over to her jewellery box. She felt like wearing something special today.
She opened the box, but then hesitated. Sitting patiently in front of her was the Archibald ring; but next to it was Chuck’s necklace.
Blair didn’t know what to do.
Shaking her head, she pushed the necklace aside and reached for the diamond ring. Slipping it on her finger, she smiled. That felt good. Obviously, the ring, and Nate, was the right choice.

Serena was hurrying down the hall of Constance Billiard when she ran into someone. Apologizing and picking up her fallen books, she faced the person she had rushed into.
“Vanessa?” Serena said in disbelief.
“Oh, hey Serena. I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you there.” Vanessa gave her a strained smile as she picked up her textbook.
“Oh, um, that’s okay. But, what are you doing here?”
“Didn’t Dan tell you? I transferred to Constance Billiard. I was hoping it would be good change for me, considering this is the sister school to Dan’s and all.”
“Oh, well, I guess Dan forgot to mention it to me.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised. You two really aren’t that close anyway.” Vanessa smiled sweetly at Serena as she started down the hall, but S stopped her.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, nothing,” Vanessa beamed. “It’s just, well, remember when Dan’s mom came back? He came to me, not you. But I guess that’s understandable, considering I am his best friend and all. But don’t feel bad, Serena. I’m sure you can find some other guy to be with. I mean, with your reputation, it’ll be hard not to.” Vanessa gave her one last wicked smile before briskly continuing down the hall. Serena just stared as she walked away, jaw dropped open.

During lunch, Vanessa caught up with Dan.
“Hey,” she said cheerfully, stopping in front of him.
“Hey,” Dan replied distractedly, looking over V’s shoulder. “Have you seen Serena?”
“Actually, no. But this morning I ran into her and she said she didn’t want to see you at lunch today.”
“Huh? Why not?” Dan looked at his best friend.
“I don’t know, she said something about getting sick of you always being so clingy.” Vanessa shrugged and led Dan over to a bench. She sat down with him. “But don’t worry; I’ll hang out with you.”
“Um, okay.” Dan looked a little disappointed. Vanessa frowned.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you glad we basically go to the same school now?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. No, it’s great. I’m just upset about Serena, I guess. Are you sure that’s what she said?”
“Definitely. I wouldn’t lie to you, Dan.” Vanessa gave him her sweetest smile and leaned over to him a little closer.
“I don’t know… I mean, maybe I should go talk to her…” Dan started to stand up, but Vanessa quickly pulled him back down.
“No! I mean, I don’t think that’s a good idea. She seemed pretty annoyed. I’d let her cool off a bit.”
“Okay…” Dan said, but he still looked rather disappointed.

Spotted: S searching for her Not-So-Lonely Boy at lunch. I guess no one told her V had whisked him away. Better watch out, Serena. Looks like V’s venom is a little more poisonous than you expected. And if you aren’t careful, you might just get bit.

Chapter 13

2007-12-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

Chapter 13

“Hey, Dan. Hey, uh, Serena.” Vanessa looked embarrassed as she emerged out of Dan’s window from the fire escape. Dan and Serena had been making out on the bed, and when Vanessa had popped her head through the window, Serena had fallen off the bed in surprise. Again.
“Hey, Vanessa. Whoa, is it just me, or does it feel like this has happened before?” Serena buttoned up her shirt and climbed back onto the bed.
“Vanessa, didn’t we already talk about this? You know, using that door thing? And knocking, maybe?” Dan put his own shirt back on, and glared at V.
“Old habits are hard to break,” Vanessa replied, smiling.
“Yes, and if you don’t try, you’ll never be able to change them.” Dan stood up and began ushering his friend out the door. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like you to come back later. But not unless you call first.” Dan pushed her out the apartment door, and locked it. He went back to his bedroom.
“Sorry,” he said, looking embarrassed. “That… happens a lot.”
“I’ve noticed,” Serena said, standing up and walking over to him. She kissed his cheek. “But I have to go. I’m meeting up with Eric. I promised him I’d take him out today.”
“Okay,” Dan said, frowning, “But call me later.” He gave her a hug, and watched as she left the apartment.
Outside, Vanessa was walking down the street, her phone glued to her ear. “Mother, get me into Constance Billiard no matter what you have to do. I don’t know; find a rich boyfriend or something, anything! You want your only daughter to be happy, don’t you?”

Chuck walked into the bar and immediately ordered a glass of vodka. He scanned the crowd, searching for anyone he knew. Suddenly, he spotted the last person he thought would ever come to one of his trashy pubs.
“Blair Waldorf, getting wasted at hardly 4 o’clock on a Monday? Well, that’s a sight I never thought my eyes would see.” Chuck sat down beside Blair as she took another shot of tequila.
“Shut up, Bass,” B said as she ran her hands through her perfectly curled hair. “You’re one to talk, after all.”
“Yes, I am, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is probably the first time you’ve ever been this drunk.” He motioned to the line of empty tequila glasses on the bar counter.
“I’ve had a rough day,” she sighed, rubbing the beautiful ring on her finger.
“What’s that?” Chuck asked, noticing the piece of jewelry.
“Mrs. Archibald’s ring. Nate gave it to me.” Blair slipped it off her finger and turned it in her hand.
Chuck looked at her. “He gave you the family ring?” Blair nodded. She set it down in front of her.
“He says he wants to gets back together. He loves me,” she said drowsily.
“No, he just can’t bear to lose you to someone else,” Chuck said, taking the ring. He examined it.
“Nate loves me,” the drunken Blair insisted. “And I love him. We’ll finally be together, and be happy.”
Chuck kept his eyes on the ring. Hesitantly, he placed it in Blair’s palm and closed her fingers around it. He got up from his seat, and then attempted to get Blair up as well.
“Come on,” he said, holding Blair by the waist as she stumbled on her feet. “Let’s get you home.”
“But—” Blair looked back longingly as the bartender brought another customer a large glass of gin.
“I think you’ve had enough for today, Waldorf.” Chuck carried her outside, and hailed her a cab. “I’ll come by later when you’re sober.”
“Thank you, Chuck,” Blair said wistfully as he helped her into the taxi. “I love you.” He smiled at her as he closed the door, and watched as the taxi pulled away from the curb.
Chuck sighed. “I love you, too, Blair.”

Spotted: A sober Chuck helping a tipsy Blair into a taxi outside a sleazy bar. What an oxymoron.
C didn’t look too happy, though. Could it be he was upset over Blair’s new rock? Surely no little diamond could outshine the magnificent necklace B received on her birthday. But maybe B is having second thoughts. Will she settle for a gorgeous little Archibald hamburger that has long since lost its flavour? Or will she turn to the deliciously unobtainable Bass steak, with only a lust for her? Whatever little Waldorf’s choice will be, you know Gossip Girl will be here all the while, waiting for B’s final order.

Chapter 12

2007-12-04T14:31:00.000-08:00

Chapter 12

Spotted: D and S on yet another romantic date. They were seen strolling in a park holding hands. Their relationship has been so perfect lately, it’s almost boring. We haven’t heard much from Vanessa; maybe that’s why. We hear she went out of town with her family for the weekend, and is yet to return. Hope you don’t move back to Vermont anytime soon, V. What’s the excitement in that?
B was seen getting out of a taxi and heading into her apartment building. She looked pretty steamed. We don’t know why, though; judging by the gorgeous stone on her finger, she shouldn’t have anything to be pissed off about.

Blair ran upstairs to her room. She opened the door, and found Jenny sitting on her bed.
“Hey, Blair,” Jenny said, smiling. “I picked up those things you wanted. Did you get my voice message? You didn’t answer your phone, so I wasn’t sure if you heard it ringing, or what.”
“Huh? Oh. No, sorry, I was just a little busy. And thanks for picking up the stuff.” Blair went to sit down next to Jenny.
“So, Little J, what have you been up to lately?”
“Uh, nothing really. Homework and stuff, you know. Why?”
“Oh, just wondering. After all, you are my friend. I should know what kind of stuff happens in your life. We are friends, aren’t we, Jenny?
“Um, yeah. We’re friends.”
“Good. And friends tell each other things, right, Jenny? Friends tell each other secrets?” Blair studied her face.
“I guess…” J looked a little confused.
“Yes. So is there anything you would like to tell me about, Little J? Are there any secrets you would like to spill?”
“Uh, I don’t think so…”
“Really? Because I heard you have a couple of secrets. Do you have any secrets, Jenny? You know you can tell me anything. After all, we are friends.”
Jenny looked nervous. “Um, well, what did you hear?”
Blair ignored her question. “Jenny, friends are honest, aren’t they? They don’t lie to each other?’
“Um, no…”
“Have you been lying to me about anything, Little J? Anything recently?”
“No, of course not, Blair. I would never lie to you.”
“Well, I suppose not telling someone something and lying are two different things.” Blair’s eyes narrowed. “Jenny, are you sure there isn’t anything you would like to tell me? This is your last chance.”
Jenny cleared her throat. “I don’t have anything to tell you, Blair.”
Blair paused. “Is that so?” she said coldly.
Jenny didn’t say a word.
“Alright then. But I have a few things to tell you, Little J. For starters, I know why you weren’t at my birthday party. I heard you were out with Nate Archibald. You were the mystery girl he was hugging in that photo someone sent to Gossip Girl. Ringing any bells?”
Jenny looked at B, not knowing what to say. “Blair...”
“I also know that you were the one who sent Gossip Girl the picture of me and Chuck. Isn’t that right, Jenny?” J looked down at her lap. “And how do I know, you ask?”
Blair picked up her bag and pulled a piece of paper out of it. She handed it to Jenny. It was the print-out of the email J had sent to Gossip Girl. Tears emerged in Jenny’s eyes.
“Jenny, remember the time we were here and we were talking about how you went to the masquerade despite my not telling you to? What did I say to you, Little J?”
Jenny gulped. “You said that it was the last time you would help me, and that the next time I cross you, you won’t be so forgiving.”
“Exactly. And what did you say?”
“I said there wouldn’t be a next time.”
“Right. Well, Jenny Humphrey, this is the next time.” Blair got up and headed to the door. She opened it, and stopped to look back.
“I can’t believe you would do this to me, J. After all I’ve done for you, this is how you decide to repay me? Well you can forget coming to the next party, or any party after that.”
Blair left the room and slammed the door shut behind her. She needed a drink.

Not shortly after B had arrived home was she seen leaving, madder than ever. An upset Jenny Humphrey was exiting the building a few minutes later, looking lost and stripped of her dignity. It looks like Little J was given her last chance, and completely blew it. Better start running now, Jenny. Miss Waldorf’s bad side is a terrible place to be.
Because remember, ‘B’ isn’t just for Blair.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Chapter 11

2007-12-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

Chapter 11

Blair was walking the hall at school on Monday when Nate came rushing up behind her.
“Blair,” he said breathlessly, stopping in front of her. She pushed him aside and continued walking.
“Go away Nate,” she said dully. “You’re gonna be late for class.”
“Blair,” he protested, grabbing B’s arm and pulling her into a corner. “I really need to talk to you.”
“Save it,” Blair said coldly, pulling her arm away from his grip. “I know you love Serena, remember? And we’re over. I don’t need you anymore.”
“Blair, just hear me out,” Nate begged. “I’m sorry for everything. It’s really hard right now, what with my dad and everything, but I’ve realized that I was neglecting you and your needs. I wasn’t treating you right, and I want a second chance. I only thought I was in love with Serena. I just needed to wake up and realize that neither of us really cared about each other that way, and we could never be together because I would always love you, Blair.”
Blair studied his face. You could see the desperation in his expression. “Well, it looks like you can’t ever be with either of us,” she finally said, “Because it was your love for Serena that kept us from being good together.” She began to walk away. Nate stopped her again.
“But Blair, I don’t love Serena! I love you! And I always will! I was stupid and drunk that night with Serena, and I thought that was love. It was ridiculous of me to ever think I loved her. But now I know that Blair, you’re the girl for me. You always will be, and I’d do anything just to have you back. I’m ready to fully commit to our relationship and make it just like it used to be.”
Blair bit her lip. She was torn between fighting back, or just running into his arms. Finally, she decided what to say. “If I’m the girl for you, then what were you doing with that tramp the night of my birthday party?” If he wanted her, he would have to work for it.
“She’s just a friend! At least I didn’t kiss her! I don’t even like Jenny that way.” Blair’s eyes widened.
“J-Jenny? Jenny Humphrey?”
“Well, yeah! It wasn’t like I borrowed some sl*t from Chuck for the night.”
“You spent the night with her?” Blair was in shock.
“We took a walk. We talked about families and stuff like that. Nothing happened. She’s just a friend. Blair, I didn’t show up at your party because I didn’t know what I was doing that night. I was mad about my parents, and just couldn’t face another one of your parties. I’m sorry. I really do care about you, though, and I really do want this to work.” Nate reached in his pocket and pulled out a ring. It was the gorgeous family heirloom that had belonged to his mother; the same ring the Archibalds had tried to force Nate to give Blair just a few days earlier. Nate took Blair’s hand and slipped it on her finger. He kissed her hand and then let her examine the ring.
B was speechless. She just stood there, turning her hand in every direction to view every angle of the beautiful gem. Finally, she looked up at Nate and smiled.
“So do you think we can start over?” Nate gently took her hand and starting rubbing it. Blair smiled at him.
“I’ll think about it,” she said, right before the bell sounded, telling her it was time to get to class. Nate smiled and kissed her forehead before turning to leave for the boy’s hall. Blair was left standing there, too stunned to move, until Serena rushed up and guided her to their next class.

At lunch, Blair pulled Jenny over to the side to talk to her.
“Jenny,” Blair said in the sweet voice she used to get what she wanted, “What are you doing today after school?”
“Um, nothing,” Jenny replied. “Why?”
“Well, I was just wondering if you would be able to pick up a few things for me. As you are probably aware, I’m planning a new party, so I would really appreciate it if you could pick up some of the decorations and drop them off at my house after you finish class. It would earn you an invite, naturally.”
Jenny, wanting to please Blair, said, “Sure, I think I can do that.”
Blair smiled, satisfied. “Great. Here’s the address of the boutique.” She handed Jenny a slip of paper. “It shouldn’t take you long.”
“Of course. I mean, anything for you, Blair.”
“Awesome. I’ll meet you at my house afterwards. Call me when you get there.” Blair turned and walked back to her friends while Jenny followed. B smiled to herself, happy with her plan.

“Blair Waldorf?” Dan looked up in surprise as B walked through the Humphrey loft door. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have some exclusive event to be at?”
Blair smiled and walked over to Dan, who was making a sandwich in the kitchen. “Actually, not today. I just came by to pick up the purse I left here yesterday when I was with Jenny. I’m going out tonight, and it’s the only one that matches my outfit.”
“Well that’s hard to believe. I had no idea you used a fashion accessory more than once.”
“Scoff if you will,” Blair said sarcastically, heading to Jenny’s room, “But I’m actually quite diligent about recycling. I wear everything at least twice before sending it off to charity.”
Dan laughed as Blair disappeared into J’s room.
Quickly, she hurried to the computer. Turning it on, Blair went to Jenny’s email page. Clicking on the ‘Sent Messages’ folder, she scrolled down. She clicked on one of the messages. Sure enough, just as B had suspected, there was the email to Gossip Girl with the photo of her and Chuck attached.
“B*tch,” Blair muttered under her breath as she printed off the page. She opened the bag she was carrying and pulled out a small white clutch. Hurrying out of the room holding the white purse, she thanked Dan and left the apartment.
Hailing a taxi, Blair headed for home. She needed to have a little talk with a certain Jenny Humphrey.

Chapter 10

2007-12-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

Chapter 10

“Hmm… okay, so, Gossip Girl says that the source is ‘anonymous’. That means whoever must have sent her the picture probably didn’t want anyone to know who they were. There are some kids living in Brooklyn that go to Constance Billiard, right?”
Blair was sitting at Jenny’s computer in the Humphrey apartment, Jenny sitting beside her on the bed.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not the only one. Some Brooklyn kids must know you,” Jenny said, trying to sound as casual as possible.
“Hmm,” Blair said, not taking her eyes off the computer screen. “This’ll be difficult. Jenny, I want you to sniff around and try and find out as much as you can. See if anyone nearby knows me, or anything about Gossip Girl and the picture. Call me when you get details. I believe in you, Jenny. I hope you won’t let me down.” Blair gave J one of her trademark smiles that said, You better follow my commands if you want to a be part of this world. Jenny smiled back, although she looked a little nervous.
“I won’t let you down,” she said. Blair’s cell phone started ringing at that moment.
“Hello? Oh, uh, hi. Now? Um, sure. I’ll be over there in a second.”
“Who was that?” Jenny asked as Blair stood up to leave.
“Oh, uh, Serena. I need to go meet up with her. Call me later.” Blair grabbed her purse and rushed out the door.
Jenny watched as Blair left, looking confused. “I thought Dan took Serena out of town today…” she said to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.

Spotted: B hurrying to the Palace Hotel, and said to be seeking a certain Chuck Bass. Are they really just planning the next hit party, or is there something deeper than what’s lying on the surface?

“I’m so glad you were able to come by,” Chuck said, quickly letting Blair into his room and taking her coat. “I really need to talk to you.”
“What is it this time, Chuck?” Blair sighed, flopping down on his bed. He went to sit beside her.
“It’s about Nate,” he said, his voice serious.
“What about Nate?” Blair said tiredly. “I told you, already, I’m over him.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not over you.” Blair looked at Chuck. “Well, at least, that’s what he told me. He wanted me to talk to you to try and find out as much as I could about ‘that guy’ you were seen kissing. He said after he saw the photo, he realized that he still loved you and couldn’t bear to see you with another guy. He might try and get you guys back together; I’m just warning you.”
Blair was silent. She didn’t know what to think of that. “Well, okay, thank you, Chuck... but what will you tell him?”
“I’m not sure… I think I’ll just say that you didn’t tell me anything and I tried as hard as I could. But I wonder who took that picture of us?”
Blair smiled her evil smile. “Don’t worry; I’m taking care of that. Let’s just say I’m getting… inside help.”
Chuck raised his eyebrows. “Alright. So what will you do about Nate?”
Blair sighed. “I’m not sure. He might not even come and talk to me. But if he does, I’ll be careful.” Chuck got up and kissed her forehead.
“Okay,” he said. “Just promise me you won’t fall madly in love with him again.”
Blair huffed, “Yeah, like that’s going to happen. Please, sometimes I think he’s sleazier than you.”
Chuck grunted and put a hand to his chest. “That hurts, B, even if it is sort of a compliment.” Blair grinned.
“Well, you’ve been surprisingly good lately. I haven’t seen you with a hotel maid or drunken freshman at your side in almost a week!” She dodged, laughing, as Chuck attempted to punch her arm.
“Hey, it’s not my fault I’m so damn irresistible.”
“Oh yes,” Blair said sarcastically. “It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you take advantage of anyone high or wasted.”
“Hey,” Chuck countered, smiling, “I didn’t need you to be that drunk to sleep with me.” Blair huffed at him, and crossed her arms against her chest.
“Face it,” Chuck said huskily, leaning toward her, “You’re easy. We just never had a chance to see it because you’ve been with Nate all your life.”
Blair pushed him away, and got up to leave. “Yeah, whatever,” she called over her shoulder right before she slammed the hotel room door shut. Chuck smiled his little smug smile in the direction B had left for a while after she had gone. Of course, he thought to himself, every girl is easy when I’m pursuing them.

Chapter 9

2007-12-03T17:25:00.000-08:00

Chapter 9

“WHAT???” Blair stared at disbelief at her computer screen. There it was; a picture of her kissing Chuck in the Brooklyn grocery store. Of course, no one knew it was Chuck, and Blair would do her best to make sure no one found out. Things were so complicated right now, she just didn’t need this. Clenching her teeth, she grabbed her cell phone and punched in Serena’s number.
“Serena! Did you see what’s on Gossip Girl?!”
“Yeah, I did. Blair, I’m sorry. But come on, in a grocery store? I thought you were classier than that.” Blair rolled her eyes.
“Look, I know, okay? But it was just one kiss, and someone was there to catch it. And I need to find out who.”
“Well, I’m sorry, B, but Dan’s taking me out of the city today, and our cell phones won’t get any signal until we come back in the evening. Maybe someone else can help you?”
Once Blair had hung up, she thought of who else could help her find the person who did this to her. Maybe Is and Kati? No, they were too oblivious to the world outside Manhattan to give a crap about Brooklyn. Blair thought of Jenny. She would be perfect. But wait, B thought, a realization coming to her. Obviously, the person who took the photo lived in Brooklyn. What would an Upper East Sider be doing at a commoner’s grocery store, or at a grocery store at all? Those were two of the reasons why B had decided to go there with Chuck. But Jenny lived in Brooklyn. Could it be that Little J had been the one to rat her out? Of course not, B assured herself. Jenny values being part of my clique too much to do that to me. Plus, she knows I warned her not to cross me. Blair dialled Jenny’s number.
“Oh, hey, Blair,” Jenny said nonchalantly when she picked up the phone.
“Hey, Jenny,” Blair said in a sweet voice. “Um, by any chance have you seen what Gossip Girl posted about me?”
“Oh, uh, yeah, you mean the picture? Yeah, I’m sorry.”
“That’s alright,” Blair said, picking at her nails. “Me and Nate are over, and I have a right to be with whoever I want. But, something like this can’t go without a punishment. I was wondering if you would mind helping me find the person who did this to me?”
On the other end, Jenny bit her lip. “Um, no, I wouldn’t mind at all.”
Blair smiled evilly. “Great. I’ll come by later this afternoon so we can talk.”
“Okay, Blair. Sure.”
Just as Blair was about to hang up, Jenny added, “Oh, and um, just wondering, who was that guy you were kissing?” Blair smiled a little.
“Oh, Little J, don’t you worry about that.”

“Come on, Chuck, let me in. I need to talk to you, man.” Nate was banging on the door of Chuck’s suite at the Palace Hotel. Finally, Chuck opened the door and hesitantly let his friend in.
“Nathaniel, what a surprise.”
“Yeah, sure, you didn’t hear me knocking on the door for the past 10 minutes.”
“Please, sit.” Chuck guided his best friend over to one of the sofas. The both sat down. “So what did you want to talk about?”
“Actually, I came over to talk to you about Blair. Did you see that picture on Gossip Girl with her and that guy?”
“Yeah, I uh, I did…” Chuck nervously sipped the cup of coffee on the table nearby.
“Well, I can’t bear to see her with some other guy, Chuck. I’ve realized now that I still love Blair, and I’ll do anything to win her back.”
“…Are you sure? I mean, didn’t you guys make it final and everything?”
“I don’t know, but obviously she thinks it’s over, and it’s up to me to prove that I still care about her.”
“Uh, Nate, just a thought here, but uh, do you think you might be acting just a tad hypocritical?”
Nate raised his eyebrows. “Do you mean about that photo of me and the girl hugging? That’s different. I wasn’t kissing her. God, who does that guy think he is, anyway? If I ever find out…” Nate clenched his fists. Chuck squirmed on the couch next to him.
“Anyway,” he concluded, “You’ve got to help me get back with Blair. Don’t you have some scheme up your sleeve like always?”
“Uh, not this time, pal. I’m gonna be busy the next couple of days.”
“Oh yeah? Doing what?”
“…Planning the next party with Blair.”
“Well, that’s great, then. You can try and squeeze some info out of her; see if she opens up to you. We can go from there.”
“Uh, listen Nathaniel, I don’t really feel comfortable doing this for you…”
“Really? Because it’s never stopped you before.”
Chuck sighed. “Alright. For you, I’ll try and talk to her. But I’m not making any promises.”
“Fine.” Nate got up to leave.
Just as he was about to walk out the door, Chuck called after him, “Wait, who was that girl you were with during Blair’s party?”
Nate smiled a little. “No one, just a friend. You don’t need to worry about her.”

Chapter 8

2007-12-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

Chapter 8

Jenny walked into the grocery store with Dan. She pointed him in the direction of the deli, and then headed off to find some of the other things on their list. However, on her way to get some milk, she spotted Chuck and Blair walking over to the produce section. Surprised, she ran into a nearby aisle so they wouldn’t see her. What are they doing at a grocery store in Brooklyn? Jenny wondered. Maybe they’re just looking for supplies for the next party. That’s got to be it. But why are they shopping here? It can’t be because it’s cheaper. Curious, Jenny headed into the produce section, hiding every now and then so B and C wouldn’t spot her.
Blair was showing some pomegranates to Chuck, who didn’t look like he approved. The two ended up in a giggling fight, and Chuck threw an apricot at Blair. She looked shocked, but then threw one back. The two were laughing and playing, and eventually fell into each other’s arms. Blair smiled at him, and then leaned in to kiss him. Jenny was shocked. Sure, she knew about B and N splitting up, but why was Blair with Nate’s best friend, and the very guy that Blair knew had tried to rape her?
Thinking quickly, J pulled out her camera phone. She snapped a picture of the couple, but could only get one because she had to hurry into an aisle to avoid being seen when Blair and Chuck parted.
Safe in the frozen aisle, Jenny examined her photo. It clearly showed Blair kissing someone, but from the angle it was shot at, you couldn’t see Chuck’s face. It would be impossible to know that it was Chuck Bass, but one could clearly see it wasn’t Nate. And that was all Jenny needed to be able to send in her picture to Gossip Girl herself.
Jenny knew it was wrong of her to turn Blair in like that, but maybe some good could come of it. Maybe Blair would turn to her for help when the picture surfaced on GG’s infamous blog. And that’s all Jenny wanted, was to have Blair need her.
Once Jenny and Dan had finished shopping and gotten home, J downloaded the picture to her computer and emailed it to Gossip Girl. At least no one could tell who the guy in the photo was, and no one would ever guess it would be Chuck Bass. No one would think Blair would be with Chuck, and he couldn’t be that sleazy as to hook up with her. Blair would be okay; with, of course, the help and support from Jenny.

Welcome, everyone, to your source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite. And I’ve got some news that’ll, well, sort of surprise you. Yesterday I was sent an email from an anonymous source regarding Blair Waldorf and a mystery man. Below is the pic I received of none other than B, kissing an unidentifiable guy in what looks like a grocery store. Looks like young Waldorf is following N’s lead. Who is this mystery man, you ask? Well, all we know is that it’s not Nate Archibald.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Chapter 7

2007-12-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

Chapter 7

“So how is Blair?”
Dan and Serena were sitting in a public park enjoying their lunch at 2 in the afternoon. Neither seemed to mind that they were a couple of hours late.
“Oh, she’s fine,” Serena replied, reaching for another slice of watermelon. “She’s just having some problems with Nate and stuff. It’s complicated.”
“Yeah… didn’t they break up?” Dan flicked an ant off the blanket they were sitting on. He smoothed out the ripple in the cloth, and then looked up at Serena again.
“Um, yeah, sort of,” Serena said slowly. “But I’m not really that sure myself.” She finished her watermelon wedge and went for another. Dan smiled as he watched her shove the dripping wet fruit into her mouth.
“Well, I hope she’ll be okay. Hey, are there any new parties coming up? You Manhattanites seem to have a lot of those.” S laughed.
“Yeah, well, we do love to party.”
“I’ll bet.”
“But I don’t know when the next one is. Usually Blair hosts the big parties, and I haven’t heard anything about a new one from her. I don’t know, maybe the others are planning something. There’s sure to be a ball or something coming up for Christmas; it’s tradition.”
“Most Upper East Side parties are.”
Serena looked at him. “How would you know?”
“Please, I probably know more about tradition parties than you do. Jenny’s obsessed with each and every one. Trying to fit in with Blair and her crowd, you know.”
“Well,” Serena said, “She’s kind of hanging by a thread right now. She and Blair got in a fight before the birthday party, and Jenny never showed up. But I know how important fitting in with Blair is to your sister.”
“Yup, Waldorf’s her idol.”
Serena pursed her lips. “I just hope she doesn’t follow exactly in B’s footsteps.” Dan glanced at her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.
“Nothing, really… Just, Blair gets caught up in it all sometimes,” Serena said quickly. She shoved a large, soft cookie in her mouth so she wouldn’t have to say any more.
Well, it’s more like Blair following in Jenny’s footsteps, Serena thought, reminding herself of the Kiss on the Lips party as she smiled at Dan with stuffed cheeks.

Spotted: D and S on a romantic picnic date in a Brooklyn park. Personally, I like my dates better when they have tables and ties. But I’m not one to judge. It looks like they were having enough fun. I wonder what, or who, they were talking about? Hope Serena didn’t spill.
S: Stuffing her face with more watermelon than what would normally fit.
D: Actually having fun without Vanessa. Looks like this Lonely Boy is a one-lady man; for now.

“So your mom actually forced you to wear designer lip gloss to last year’s Kiss on the Lips?”
Serena laughed. “Yup, she said that since that night was all about ‘kissing’, I couldn’t just settle for some Lip Smackers. She opened one of her makeup bags and pulled out like 20 shades of Chanel. Sometimes my mom is so shallow. Like anyone would care what brand lip gloss I wore! Except Blair Waldorf, of course. One of her main philosophies is, ‘Upper East Siders don’t wear cosmetics from Wal-Mart’. You either go to Sephora, or you don’t bother wearing makeup at all.”
They both laughed as Dan started putting the plates back in the picnic basket.
“It’s getting late,” he said when Serena questioned his actions.
She grabbed his wrist and glanced at his watch. “Dan, it’s 4:30,” she replied, laughing.
“I promised my mom I’d go and get groceries. And you know me, it takes forever just to find the Deli section, and they put up giant signs on the walls and everything.”
Serena smiled as she helped him put everything away. “Well,” she said, standing up, “See you later, then. And good luck getting that deli meat.” She kissed him and then hailed a cab.
Once she had gone, Dan sighed and picked up the basket. Slowly, he started walking back home. “Those van der Woodsens and their lip gloss,” he mumbled as he passed the afternoon Brooklyn crowd.